:\ 


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THE  LOG  OF  THE  "FLYING  FISH,' 


LIEUTENANT    MILDMAY   RUNS   FOR   HIS    LIFE. 


THE 

LOG  OF  THE  "FLYING  FISH;" 

A    STOKY    OF    AEEIAL    AND 
SUBMAEINE    PEEIL    AND    ADYENTUEE. 


BY 
HARRY    COLLINGWOOD,  ^^^^ 

Author  of  "The  Congo  Rovers;"  "The  Pirate  Island;"  "The  Missing  Merchantman;"  Ac. 


WITH  TWELVE  FULL-PAQE  ILLUSTRATIONS 
Br  GORDON  BROWNE. 


(T^. ^^SNiiilSMh^>^ i ^^ 


NEW  YORK 

SCEIBNEE    AND    WELFOED 
743  &  745  BROADWAY. 


IteA, 


!\*Cu 


CONTENTS. 


Chap.  Page 
I.  Professor  von  Schalckenberg  makes  a  startling  Sug- 
gestion,   9 

II.  The  Kealization  of  a  Scientist's  Dream, 25 

III.  The  "Flying  Fish," 32 

IV.  The  novel  Beginning  of  a  singular  Voyage,     ...  55 
V.  A  Submarine  Excursion, 75 

VI.  In  Search  of  a  submerged  Wreck, 90 

VII.  En  Route  for  the  North  Pole, 105 

VIII.  A  Superb  Spectacle, 119 

IX.  An  Exciting  Adventure  and  a  Eescue,  .     .    .    .    .     .136 

X.  The  "Humboldt"  Glacier, 153 

XL  An  Interesting  Relic, 170 

XII.  Another  Startling  Discovery, 185 

XIII.  At  the  North  Pole, 204 

XIV.  Southward  Ho! 219 

XV.  A  Troop  of  Unicorns, 231 

XVI.  A  Battle  on  Lake  Tanganyika, 249 

XVII.  A  Native  Chieftain's  Visit  to  Cloudland,     ....  265 

XVIII.  King  M'Bongwele  is  temporarily  reduced  to  Submis- 
sion,    280 

XIX.  King  M'Bongwele  turns  the  Tables  upon  his  Visitors,  295 

XX.  The  History  of  certain  Distressed  Damsels,    .     .     .  312 

XXL  Retribution  overtakes  King  M'Bongwele,      .     .     .    .  331 

XXII.  An  Adventure  on  the  top  of  Mount  Everest,  .    .    .  346 

XXIII.  How  the  Adventure  terminated, 358 

XXIV.  The  Foundering  of  the  "Mercury," 368 


r^o/s  c^c^/\  Q 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Page 
Lieutenant  Mildmay  runs  for  his  Life,      .     .    Frontispiece.  195 

At  Dessert  before  the  Start, 59 

A  Fight  with  the  Conger- eels, 80 

The  "Flying  Fish"  and  the  Barque  in  the  Jaws  of  Death,  147 

Colonel  Lethbridge  discovers  a  Diamond  Mine,     ....  209 

The  Professor  appears  after  berthing  the  "Flying  Fish,"  230 

The  Unicorn  Hunters  in  retreat  for  the  Ship,      ....  246 

A  Squadron  of  Mounted  Warriors  put  to  Flight,     .    .    .  262 

The  Professor  and  his   Comrades  in  the  Hands   of  the 
Savages, 305 

The  "Flying  Fish"  destroys  King  M'Bongwele's  Palisade,  339 

An  Adventure  on  Mount  Everest, 856 

"  Thank  God,  we  have  saved  her  ! "  ejaculated  Sir  Reginald,  378 


THE  LOG  OF  THE  ^^LYING  FISH." 


CHAPTER   I 


PROFESSOR   VON   SCHALCKENBERG  MAKES   A   STARTLING 
SUGGESTION. 


HE  "  Migrants' "  Club  stands  on  the  most  delight- 
ful site  in  all  London ;  and  it  is,  as  the  few  who 
are  intimately  acquainted  with  it  know  full 
well,  one  of  the  most  cosy  and  comfortable  clubs  in  the 
great  metropolis. 

It  is  by  no  means  a  famous  club;  the  building  itself 
has  a  very  simple,  unpretentious  elevation,  with  nothing 
whatever  about  it  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  passer- 
by; but  its  interior  is  fitted  up  in  such  a  style  of  combined 
elegance  and  comfort,  and  its  domestic  arrangements  are 
so  perfect,  as  to  leave  nothing  to  be  desired. 

Its  numerous  members  are  essentially  wanderers  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth — that  is  the  one  distinguishing 
characteristic  wherein  they  most  widely  differ  from  their 
fellow-men — they  are  ceaseless  travellers;  mighty  hunters 
in  far-off  lands ;  adventurous  yachtsmen;  eager  explorers; 
with  a  small  sprinkling  of  army  and  navy  men.     Their 


10  THE   SMOKE-ROOM   OF   THE    "MIGRANTS'." 

visits  to  their  club  are  infrequent  in  the  extreme;  but, 
during  the  brief  and  widely  separated  intervals  when 
they  have  the  opportunity  to  put  in  an  appearance  there, 
they  like  to  be  made  thoroughly  comfortable;  and  no 
pains  are  spared  to  secure  their  complete  gratification  in 
this  respect. 

The  smoke-room  of  the  "  Migrants' "  presented  an 
appearance  of  especial  comfort  and  attractiveness  on  a 
certain  cold  and  stormy  February  evening  a  few  years 
ago.  A  large  fire  blazed  in  the  polished  steel  grate  and 
roared  cheerfully  up  the  chimney,  in  rivalry  of  the  wind, 
w^hich  howled  and  scuffled  and  rumbled  in  the  flue  higher 
up.  An  agreeable  temperature  pervaded  the  room,  making 
the  lashing  of  the  fierce  rain  on  the  window-panes  sound 
almost  pleasant  as  one  basked  in  the  light  and  warmth 
of  the  apartment  and  contrasted  it  with  the  state  of  cold 
and  wet  and  misery  which  reigned  supreme  outside.  A 
dozen  opal-shaded  gas-burners  brilliantly  lighted  the 
room,  and  revealed  the  fact  that  it  was  handsomely  and 
liberally  furnished  with  luxurious  divans,  capacious  easy- 
chairs,  a  piano,  a  table  loaded  with  the  papers  and 
periodicals  of  the  day,  an  enormous  mirror  over  the  black 
marble  mantel-piece,  a  clock  with  a  set  of  silvery  chimes 
for  the  quarters,  and  a  deep,  mellow-toned  gong  for  the 
hours,  and  so  many  pictures  that  the  whole  available 
surface  of  the  walls  was  completely  covered  with  them. 
These  pictures — executed  in  both  oil  and  water-colour — 
represented  out-of-the-way  scenes  visited,  or  incidents 
participated  in  by  the  members  who  had  executed  them, 
and  all  possessed  a  considerable  amount  of  artistic  merit; 
it  being  a  rule  of  the  club  that  every  picture  should  be 
submitted  to  a  hanging  committee  of  distinctly  artistic 


THE  PROFESSOR  AND  THE  BARONET.  11 

members  before  it  could  be  allowed  a  place  upon  the 
smoke-room  walls. 

The  occupants  of  the  room  on  the  evening  in  question 

[  were  four  in  number.  One,  a  German,  known  as  the 
Professor  Heinrich  von  Schalckenberg,  was  half  buried 
in  the  recesses  of  a  huge  arm-chair,  from  the  depths  of 

^  which  he  perused  the  pages  of  the  Science  Monthly, 
smoking  meanwhile  a  pipe  with  a  huge  elaborately  carved 
meerschaum  bowl  and  a  long  cherry-wood  stem.  From 
the  ferocious  manner  in  which  he  glared  through  his 
spectacles  at  the  pages  of  the  magazine,  from  the  im- 
patience with  which  he  from  time  to  time  dashed  his 
disengaged  hand  through  the  masses  of  his  iron-gray  hair, 

;  and  from  the  frequent  ejaculations  of  "Pish!"  "Psha!" 
"  Ach!"  and  so  on  which  escaped  his  lips,  accompanied  by 
vast  volumes  of  smoke,  it  seemed  evident  that  he  was 
not  altogether  at  one  with  the  author  whose  article  he 
was  perusing.     He  was  an  explorer  and  a  scientist. 

Near  the  Herr  Professor  there  reclined  upon  a  divan 
the  form  of  Sir  Reginald  Elphinstone,  sometimes  called 
by  his  friends  "the  handsome  baronet,"  said  to  be  the 
richest  commoner  in  England.  At  the  age  of  thirty-five, 
having  freely  exposed  himself  to  all  known  sources  of 
peril,  except  those  involved  in  a  trip  to  the  Polar  regions, 
in  his  eager  pursuit  of  sport  and  adventure.  Sir  Reginald 
seemed,  for  the  moment,  to  have  no  object  left  him  in  life 
but  to  shoot  as  many  rings  as  possible  of  cigar-smoke 
through  each  other,  as  he  lay  there  on  the  divan  in  an 
attitude  more  easy  than  elegant. 

Square  in  front  of  the  fire,  dreamily  puffing  at  his  cigar 
and  apparently  studying  the  merits  of  a  painting  hanging 
behind  him,  and  on  the  reflected  image  of  which  in  the 


12  HOW   THE   MATTER   ORIGINATED. 

mirror  before  him  his  eyes  lazily  rested,  sat  Cyril  Leth- 
bridge,  ex-colonel  of  the  Royal  Engineers,  a  successful 
gold-seeker,  and  almost  everything  else  to  which  a  spice 
of  adventure  could  possibly  attach  itself. 

And  next  him  again,  on  the  side  of  the  fire-place 
opposite  to  the  Herr  Professor,  lounged  Lieutenant  Edward 
Mildmay,  KN. 

The  lieutenant  was  skimming  through  the  daily  papers. 
Presently  he  looked  up  and  remarked  to  the  colonel: 

"  I  see  that  some  Frenchmen  have  been  making  experi- 
ments in  the  navigation  of  balloons." 

"Ah,  indeed!"  responded  the  colonel,  with  his  head 
thrown  critically  on  one  side,  and  his  eyes  still  fixed  on 
the  reflection  of  the  picture.     "And  with  what  result?" 

"  Oh,  failure,  of  course." 

"And  failure  it  always  will  be.  The  thing  is  simply 
an  impossibility,"  remarked  the  colonel. 

"  No,  bardon  me,  colonel,  id  is  not  an  imbossibilidy  by 
any  means." 

This  from  the  professor. 

"Indeed?  Then  how  do  you  account  for  it,  professor, 
that  all  attempts  to  navigate  a  balloon  have  hitherto 
failed?"  asked  the  colonel. 

"Begause,  my  dear  zir,  the  aeronauts  have  never  yed 
realized  all  the  requiremends  of  zuccess,"  replied  the 
professor,  laying  down  his  magazine  as  though  quite 
prepared  to  go  thoroughly  into  the  question. 

The  colonel  accepted  the  challenge,  and,  rousing  himself 
from  his  semi-recumbent  posture,  said: 

"  That  is  quite  possible ;  but  what  are  the  requirements 
of  success?" 

The  professor  knocked  the  ashes  out  of  his  meerschaum. 


THE  PROFESSOR  BEGINS   TO   EXPOUND.  13 

refilled  it  with  the  utmost  deliberation,  carefully  lighted 
it,  gave  a  few  vigorous  puffs,  and  replied: 

"  The  requiremends  of  zuccess  in  balloon  navigation  are 
very  zimilar  to  those  which  enable  a  man  to  draverse  the 
ocean.  If  a  man  wants  to  make  a  voyage  agross  the 
ocean  he  embargs  in  a  ship,  not  on  a  life-buoy.  Now  a 
balloon  is  nothing  more  than  a  life-buoy;  id  zusdains  a 
man,  but  that  is  all.  Id  drifts  aboud  with  the  currends 
of  air  jusd  as  a  life-buoy  drifts  aboud  with  the  currends 
of  ocean,  and  the  only  advandage  which  the  aeronaud  has 
over  the  man  with  the  life-buoy  is  thad  the  former  can 
ascend  or  descend  in  search  of  a  favourable  air  currend, 
whereas  the  ladder  is  obliged  do  dake  the  ocean  currends 
as  they  come." 

"Very  true,"  remarked  the  colonel;  "and  what  do  you 
deduce  from  that,  professor?" 

"I  deduse  from  thad  thad  the  man  who  wands  to 
navigade  the  air  musd  do  as  his  brother  the  sailor  does, 
he  musd  have  a  ship.'' 

"  Well,  is  not  a  balloon  a  sort  of  air  ship  ? " 

"You  may  gall  it  zo  iv  you  like,  colonel,  I  do  nod;  I 
call  it  merely  a  buoy,"  returned  the  professor.  "  A  shijy  is 
zomething  gabable  of  moving  in  the  elemend  which 
zustains  it;  a  balloon  is  ingabable  of  any  indebendend 
movement  in  the  air;  it  drifts  aboud  at  the  mercy  of 
every  idle  wind  that  blows.  Id  is  like  a  ship  on  a  breath- 
less sea;  withoud  any  means  of  brobulsion  the  ship  lies 
motionless,  or  drifts  at  the  mercy  of  the  currends.  Bud 
give  the  ship  a  means  of  brobulsion,  and  navigation  ad 
once  begomes  bossible.  And  zo  will  it  be  with  bal- 
loons." 

"  Well,  that   has  already  been  tried,"  remarked   the 


14  THE  UNFOLDING   OF  THE   IDEA. 

colonel;  "  but  the  buoyancy  of  a  balloon  is  too  slight  to 
permit  of  its  being  fitted  with  engines  and  a  boiler." 

"My  vriendt,"  said  the  professor  impressively,  "whad 
would  you  think  of  the  man  who  tried  to  pud  the  engines 
and  boilers  of  an  Atlantic  liner  in  a  leedle  boad?" 

"  I  should  think  him  an  unmitigated  ass,"  retorted  the 
colonel. 

"Jusd  so.  Yed  thad  is  whad  the  aeronauds  have 
been  doing;  they  have  been  drying  to  make  the  leedle 
boad-balloon  garry  the  brobelling  bower  of  the  aerial 
ship.  In  other  words,  they  have  not  made  their  balloons 
large  enough." 

"  Then  you  think  they  have  not  yet  reached  the  prac- 
tical limit  to  the  size  of  a  balloon?"  asked  the  colonel. 

"  They  have — very  nearly — if  balloons  are  do  be  made 
only  of  silk,"  was  the  reply.  "  Bud  if  navigable  balloons 
are  to  be  gonsdrugded,  aeronauds  musd  durn  do  other 
maderials  and  adobd  another  form.  As  I  said  before, 
they  musd  build  a  shih,  and  she  musd  be  of  sufficiend 
size  to  float  in  the  air  and  to  garry  all  her  eguip- 
ments." 

"  But  such  an  aerial  ship  would  be  a  veritable  monster^' 
protested  the  colonel. 

"  Zo  are  the  Adlandic  liners  of  the  presend  day,"  quietly 
answered  the  professor. 

"Phew!"  whistled  the  colonel.  The  baronet  rose  from 
the  divan,  flung  away  the  stump  of  his  cigar,  and  settled 
himself  to  listen,  and  perhaps  take  part  in  the  singular 
conversation. 

"  And  of  what  would  you  build  your  aerial  ship,  pro- 
fessor?" asked  the  colonel  when  he  had  in  some  measure 
recovered  from  his  astonishment. 


A   DIFFICULT   TASK.  15 

"Of  the  lighdescl  and,  ad  the  zame  dime,  sdrongesd 
maderial  I  gould  find,"  answered  the  professor.  "  Once 
get  the  aeronaud  to  realize  thad  greadly  ingreased  bulk 
and  a  difFerend  form  are  necessary,  and  id  will  nod  be 
long  before  he  will  find  a  suitable  building  maderial.  Iv 
I  were  an  aeronaud  I  should  dry  medal." 

"  Metal !"  exclaimed  the  colonel.  "  Oh,  come,  professor; 
now  you  are  romancing,  you  know.  A  ship  of  metal 
would  never  float  in  the  atmosphere." 

"  A  zimilar  remarg  was  made  nod  zo  very  many  years 
ago  when  id  was  suggesded  that  ocean  shibs  could  be 
buildt  of  medal,"  retorted  the  professor.  ''  Yed  there  are 
thousands  of  medal  shibs  in  exisdenze  do-day;  and  there 
can  be  no  doubt  as  do  the  facd  thad  they  fload.  And  zo 
will  an  aerial  shib.  The  gread — in  facd  the  only  difli- 
guldy  in  the  madder  is  thad  air  is  eight  hundred  dimes 
lighder  than  wader;  and  an  air  shib  of  given  dimensions 
musd  therefore  be  ad  leasd  eight  hundred  dimes  lighder 
than  her  ocean  sisder  do  enable  her  do  fload  in  the  atmo- 
sphere. The  broblem,  then,  is  this:  How  are  you  to 
gonsdrugt  a  medal  shib,  of  given  dimensions,  sdrong 
enough  do  hold  dogether  and  withsdand  the  shock  of 
goming  do  earth,  yed  of  less  weighd  than  her  own  bulk 
of  air?  With  the  medals  hitherdoo  ad  our  disbosal,  I 
admid  thad  the  dask  is  a  diffiguld  one;  bud  I  maindain 
thad  id  is  by  no  means  an  imbossibilidy.  An  ocean  shib 
musd  be  buildt  sdrong  enough  nod  only  do  susdain  the 
weighd  of  her  gargo — often  amounding  do  upwards  of 
a  thousand  dons — bud  also  do  withstand  the  dremendous 
and  incessandly  varying  sdrain  do  which  she  is  exbosed 
when  garrying  thad  gargo  through  a  moundainous  sea. 
This  enormous  sdrength  necessidades  the  use  of  a  gorres- 


16  THE   KEY   TO   THE   SOLUTION. 

bonding  thickness — and  therefore  weighd — of  the  medal 
used  in  her  gonsdruction.  Such  brovision  would  of  gourse 
be  unnecessary  in  the  gase  of  an  aerial  shib;  begause  no 
one  would  dream  of  garrying  an  ounze  of  unnecessary 
weighd  through  the  air;  and  there  are  no  moundain  seas 
in  the  admosphere  to  sdrain  a  shib.  A  vasd  saving  in 
weighd  would  resuld  from  these  zirgumsdances  alone; 
and  a  further  saving — zufficiend,  I  believe,  to  aggomblish 
the  desired  object — gan,  no  doubd,  be  efFecded  by  skilful 
engineers,  one  of  whose  greadesd  driumphs  id  is  do  design 
sdrugdures  in  which  the  maximum  of  sdrength  is  zecured 
with  the  minimum  of  weighd.  Id  musd  nod  be  forgodden, 
either,  thad  an  air  shib  musd,  in  one  imbordand  bardi- 
gular,  be  dreated  exactly  like  her  ocean  sisder.  An  ocean 
shib  gonsdrugded,  say,  of  sdeel,  will  sink  if  filled  with 
wader,  begause  sdeel  is  heavier  than  wader,  bulk  for  bulk; 
bud  bump  oud  all  the  wader  from  her  inderior,  and  if  she 
be  proberly  gonsdrugded,  she  will  fload  on  the  elemend 
she  is  indended  do  navigade.  And  the  same  with  an  air 
shib:  bump  out  all  or  nearly  all  the  air  which  she  gon- 
dains,  and  if  she  be  gonsdrugded  in  aggordanze  with  the 
brincibles  I  have  indigaded,  she  will  fload  in  the  lighder 
elemend." 

"  Upon  my  word,  professor,  you  have  argued  your  case 
extremely  well,"  exclaimed  the  colonel.  '*  I  can  see  only 
one  difficulty  in  the  way;  and  that  is  in  the  matter  of 
weight" 

"Which  diffiguldy  I  have  gombledely  gonquered," 
triumphantly  exclaimed  the  professor,  rising  excitedly 
from  his  seat  with  flushed  cheeks  and  flashing  eyes. 
"  Do  me,  Heinrich  von  Schalckenberg,  belongs  the  honor 
and  glory  of  having  made  dwo  mosd  imbordand  dis- 

(359) 


"  ^THEREUM.'''  17 

goveries,  disgoveries  of  ingalgulable  value  do  the  worldt, 
disgoveries  which  will  enable  me  do  soar  ad  will  indo  the 
highesd  regions  of  the  embyrean,  do  skim  the  surface  of 
the  ocean,  or  do  blunoe  do  ids  lowesd  debths." 

"Bravo,  professor;  that  was  positively  dramatic!"  ex- 
claimed the  baronet.  "  You  have  mistaken  your  business, 
my  dear  sir;  you  were  undoubtedly  born  to  be  an  actor. 
But  what  are  these  two  most  important  discoveries  of 
which  you  so  exultantly  speak?" 

"  They  are  a  new  medal  and  a  new  power,"  exclaimed 
the  professor.  Then,  fumbling  in  his  breast-pocket,  he 
drew  forth  a  wallet  from  which  he  extracted  a  small 
rectangular  plate  of — apparently — polished  silver.  It 
measured  about  five  inches  long  by  four  inches  broad, 
and  was  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick. 

"  There,  Sir  Reginald,"  he  exclaimed,  offering  the  plate 
to  the  baronet,  "  dell  me  whad  you  think  of  thad." 

"  Very  pretty  indeed,"  commented  Sir  Reginald,  as  he 
held  out  his  hand  to  take  it.  "What  is  it?  Silver? 
Phew!  No;  it  can't  be  that,"  as  his  fingers  closed  upon 
it;  "it  is  far  too  light  for  silver.  Why,  it  seems  to  be 
absolutely  devoid  of  weight  altogether.  What  is  it,  pro- 
fessor?" 

"Thad,  my  good  sir,  is  my  new  medal,  which  I  gall 
'  oitliereum  begause  of  ids  wonderful  lighdness.  See 
here." 

There  was  a  WQry  handsome  cut  glass  water-jug,  full, 
standing  on  the  table  in  a  capacious  salver  of  hammered 
brass.  The  professor  took  up  the  jug  and  emptied  it  into 
the  salver,  almost  filling  the  latter.  Then  he  laid  the 
glittering  slab  of  metal  down  on  the  surface  of  the  water, 
where  it  floated  as  buoyantly  as  though  it  had  been  an 

(359)  B 


18  AN   INTERESTING   EXPERIMENT. 

empty  box  constructed  of  the  lightest  cardboard.  The 
professor  raised  the  salver  from  the  table  and  agitated 
the  water,  to  show  that  the  metal  actually  floated. 

"Why,  it  floats  as  lightly  as  a  cork!"  exclaimed  the 
colonel  in  the  utmost  astonishment. 

''  Korg!"  exclaimed  the  professor  disdainfully,  "korg  is 
heavy  gombared  with  this.  This  is  the  lighdesd  solid 
known.     Loog  ad  this." 

The  professor  lifted  the  plate  of  metal  out  of  the  water, 
and,  wiping  it  dry  very  carefully  with  his  silk  pocket- 
handkerchief,  held  it  suspended,  flat  side  downwards, 
between  his  finger  and  thumb.  Then,  when  he  had 
poised  it  as  nearly  horizontal  as  he  could  guess  at,  he  let 
it  go.  It  wavered  about  in  the  air  as  a  thin  sheet  of 
paper  would  have  done,  and  finally  sailed  aslant  and  very 
gently  to  the  ground,  amid  the  astonished  exclamations 
of  the  beholders,  by  whom  it  was  immediately  examined 
with  the  utmost  curiosity. 

"  You  have  seen  for  yourselves  and  gan  therefore  judge 
how  marvellously  lighd  this  medal  is,"  continued  the 
professor  when  the  plate  had  been  handed  back  to  him; 
"  bud  ids  sdrength  you  musd  dake  my  word  for,  as  I 
have  no  means  ad  hand  do  illusdrade  id.  Ids  sdrength  is 
as  wonderful  as  ids  lighdness,  being — zo  var  as  I  have 
had  obbordunidy  do  desd  id — exactly  one  hundred  dimes 
thad  of  the  besd  sdeel." 

"  If  that  be  the  case,  professor,  then  I  should  say  you 
have  solved  the  problem  of  aerial  navigation,"  remarked 
the  colonel.  "  But  you  spoke  of  having  also  discovered  a 
new  power.     What  is  it?" 

The  professor  once  more  instituted  a  search  in  his 
pockets,  and  at  length  produced  a  small  paper  packet, 


A   SOMEWHAT  DANGEROUS   SUBSTANCE.  19 

which,  on  being  opened,  was  found  to  contain  about  a 
table-spoonful  of  green  metallic-looking  crystals. 

"  There  id  is,"  he  said,  handing  the  packet  to  the 
colonel  for  inspection. 

"  Um!"  ejaculated  the  colonel,  turning  the  crystals  over 
slowly  with  his  finger.  "Quite  new  to  me;  I  don't 
recognize  them  at  all.  And  what  is  the  nature  of  the 
power  derivable  from  these  crystals?" 

"Dreated  in  one  way  they  give  off  elegdricidy;  dreated 
in  another  way  they  yield  an  exbansive  gas,  which  may 
be  subsdiduded  for  either  gunbowder  or  sdeam,"  answered 
the  professor. 

"Are  they  explosive,  then?"  asked  the  colonel. 

"  Nod  in  their  bresend  form.  You  mighd  doss  all  those 
crysdals  indo  the  fire  with  imbunidy;  but  bowder  them 
and  mix  indo  a  baste  with  a  zerdain  acid,  and  whad  you 
now  hold  in  your  hand  would  develop  exblosive  bower 
enough  to  demolish  this  building,"  was  the  quiet  reply. 

The  professor's  little  audience  looked  at  him  incredu- 
lously; a  look  to  which  he  responded  by  saying: 

"Id  is  quide  drue,  I  assure  you,"  in  such  convincing 
tones  as  left  no  room  for  further  doubt.  They  knew  the 
professor  well;  knew  him  to  be  quite  incapable  of  the 
slightest  attempt  at  deception  or  exaggeration. 

"  Then,  if  I  have  understood  you  aright,  you  will  con- 
struct your  aerial  ship  of  your  new  metal,  and  apply 
your  new  power  to  give  motion  to  her  machinery?"  said 
the  colonel. 

"  Yes.  Thad  is  do  say,  I  ivould  if  I  bossessed  the  means 
do  build  such  a  ship  as  I  have  described.  Bud  I  am  a 
scientist,  and  therefore  boor.  Never  mind;  I  have  no 
doubt  thad,  when  I  make  my  discoveries  known,  I  shall 


20 

find  some  wealthy  man  who,  for  the  sake  of  science,  will 
find  der  money,"  said  the  professor  hopefully. 

"  How  much  would  it  cost  to  build  an  aerial  ship  such 
as  you  have  been  speaking  of?"  asked  the  baronet. 

"Oh!  I  cannod  say.  Nod  zo  very  much.  Berhabs  a 
hundred  thousandt  bounds,"  was  the  reply. 

"Phew!  That's  rather  'steep,'  as  the  Yankees  say. 
But — 'a  fool  and  his  money  are  soon  parted' — if  you  are 
convinced  that  your  scheme  is  really  practicable,  pro- 
fessor, I  will  find  the  needful,"  remarked  the  baronet. 

"  Bragdigable !  My  dear  sir,  id  is  as  bragdigable  as  id 
is  to  build  a  shib  which  will  navigade  the  ocean.  I  have 
thoughd  the  madder  oudt,  and  there  is  nod  a  single  weak 
boindt  anywhere  in  my  scheme.  Led  me  have  der  money 
and  I  will  brovide  you  with  the  means  of  zoaring  above 
the  grest  of  Mount  Everest,  or  of  exbloring  the  deepest 
ocean  valleys,"  exclaimed  the  professor  enthusiastically. 

"Good!"  remarked  the  baronet  quietly.  "That  is  a 
bargain.  Meet  me  here  at  noon  to-morrow,  and  we  will 
go  together  to  my  bankers,  where  I  will  transfer  one 
hundred  thousand  pounds  to  your  account.  And — what 
say  you,  gentlemen? — when  this  wonderful  ship  is  com- 
pleted will  you  join  the  professor  and  me  in  an  experi- 
mental trip  round  the  world?" 

"  I  shall  be  delighted,"  exclaimed  the  colonel. 

"Nothing  would  please  me  better,"  remarked  the 
lieutenant. 

And  so  it  was  agreed. 

"Well,"  remarked  the  baronet  reflectively,  and  as  though 
he  already  began  to  feel  doubtful  as  to  the  wisdom  of  his 
agreement  with  the  professor,  *'if  it  has  no  other  good 
result  it  will  at  least  afibrd  employment  to  a  few  of  the 


"ONCE  BIT,   TWICE   SHY."  21 

unfortunate  fellows  who  are  now  hanging  about  idle  day 
after  day." 

The  professor  looked  up  sharply. 

"  What!"  he  exclaimed.  "Of  whom  are  you  sbeaging, 
my  dear  Sir  Reginald?" 

"  I  am  speaking  of  the  unfortunate  individual  known 
as  '  the  British  Workman/ "  was  the  baronet's  quiet 
reply. 

"Am  I  do  understandt  thad  you  make  the  embloymend 
of  Eno^lish  workmen  a  o-ondition  of  the  underdakin^r?'* 
asked  the  professor  somewhat  sharply. 

"By  no  means,  my  dear  sir,"  answered  Sir  Reginald; 
"I  shall  not  attempt  to  impose  conditions  of  any  kind  upon 
you.  But  I  should  naturally  expect  that,  if  English 
workmen  are  as  capable  of  executing  the  work  as 
foreigners,  the  former  would  be  given  the  preference  in 
a  matter  involving  the  expenditure  of  say  a  hundred 
thousand  pounds  of  an  Englishman's  money." 

"Quide  zo,"  concurred  the  professor;  "and  you  would 
be  perfectly  justified  in  such  an  expegdation  if  the 
Bridish  workman  was  the  steady,  indusdrious,  reliable 
fellow  he  once  was.  Bud,  unfordunadely,  he  is  nod  the 
same,  zo  var  ad  leasd  as  reliahilidy  is  concerned'.  You 
gannod  any  longer  debend  ubon  him.  Id  is  no  longer 
bossible  to  underdake  a  work  of  any  imbordance  with- 
oudt  the  gonsdand  haunting  fear  that  your  brogress  will 
be  inderrubted — berhaps  ad  a  most  cridical  juncture — by 
a  'sdrike.'  The  greadt  quesdion  which,  above  all  others, 
do-day  agidades  the  British  mind  is:  'Do  whadt  cause  is 
the  bresendt  debression  of  drade  addribudable?'  And,  in 
my  obinion,  gendlemen,  the  answer  to  that  quesdion  is 
thad  id  is  very  largely  due  do  the  consdandly  recurring 


22         VON  schalckenberg's  views  on  "strikes." 

sdrikes  which  have  become  almosdt  a  habid  with  the 
Bridish  workman.  The  'sdrike'  is  the  most  formidable 
engine  which  has  ever  been  brought  indo  oberation  do 
seddle  the  differences  bedween  embloyer  and  embloyed; 
and,  whilst  I  am  willing  to  admid  thad  in  certain  cases  id 
has  resulded  in  the  repression  and  redress  of  long-sdanding 
oppression  and  injusdice,  id  has  been  used  with  such  a 
lack  of  discrimination  as  do  have  almost  ruined  the 
drade  of  the  goundry.  With  the  invention  of  the  'sdrike' 
the  workman  thoughd  he  had  ad  lasd  discovered  the 
means  of  enriching  himself  ad  the  expense  of  his  embloyer, 
or  of  securing  his  fair  and  righdful  share  of  the  brofids  of 
his  labour,  as  he  described  id;  and,  udderly  ignorand  of  the 
laws  of  bolidigal  egonomy,  recognizing  in  the  'sdrike' 
merely  an  insdrumend  for  forcing  a  higher  rade  of  wages 
from  his  embloyer,  he  has  gone  on  recklessly  using  id 
undil  the  unfordunade  gabidalist,  finding  himself  unable 
do  produce  his  wares  ad  a  cost  which  will  enable  him  do 
successfully  gompede  with  the  manufagdurers  of  other 
goundries,  has  been  gombelled  to  glose  his  works  and 
remove  his  gabidal  and  his  energies  to  a  spodt  where  he 
gan  find  workmen  less  unreasonable  in  their  demands. 
There  is  no  more  capable  or  valuable  workman  in  exist- 
ence than  the  English  artisan,  if  he  gould  only  be  induced 
to  do  his  honest  best  for  his  embloyer;  there  is  hardly 
any  branch  of  industry  in  which  he  is  nod  ad  leasd  the 
equal,  if  not  very  greadly  the  suberior  of  the  foreigner; 
and  id  is  even  yet  in  his  power  to  recover  the  command 
of  the  world's  market  by  the  suberior  excellence  of  his 
broductions,  if  he  could  only  be  brevailed  upon  do  aban- 
don sdrikes  and  do  be  satisfied  with  a  wage  which  will 
allow  the  cabidalist  a  fair  and  moderade  redurn  for  the 


THE  PROFESSOR  DECLINES  TO  BE  COERCED.       23 

use  of  his  money  and  brains  and  for  the  risks  he  has  do 
run.  If  the  British  workman  would  goUecdively  make 
up  his  mind  to  do  this,  and  would  acquaindt  the  gabi- 
dalist  with  his  decision,  we  should  speedily  see  a  revival 
of  drade  and  embloymend  for  every  really  capable  work- 
man. Bud  in  the  meantime  there  unfordunadely  seems 
do  be  very  little  chance  of  this;  and  in  so  delicade  a 
madder  as  the  gonsdrugdion  of  this  ship  of  ours,  it  would 
be  nod  only  unwise,  but  also  unfair  to  you  to  run  the 
risk  of  a  failure  through  the  embloymendt  of  untractable 
or  unreliable  workmen;  and  if,  therefore,  you  had  insisted 
on  my  embloying  Englishmen,  I  should  have  been  re- 
lugdandly  gombelled  do  wash  my  hands  of  the  whole 
affair.  Ad  the  same  dime  I  feel  id  due  do  myself  do  say 
thad,  even  had  you  nod  mendioned  the  madder,  I  should 
have  done  my  best  to  secure  Englishmen  for  the  work, 
as  of  course  I  shall  now;  bud  I  do  uod  feel  very  sanguine 
as  do  the  resuldt." 

"My  dear  professor!"  exclaimed  the  baronet, smiling  at 
the  intense  earnestness  of  the  German,  "  are  you  not  lay- 
ing on  the  colour  rather  thickly?  I  admit  with  sorrow 
that  your  portrait  is  only  too  truthful — as  a  portrait — 
still  I  cannot  help  thinking  it  rather  highly  coloured. 
They  are  surely  not  all  as  despicable  as  you  have  painted 
them?" 

"  No,"  answered  the  professor  with  enthusiasm,  "  no 
they  are  nod.  Id  was  only  a  few  weeks  ago  thad  I  read 
of  the  workmen  of  a  cerdain  firm  bresending  their  em- 
bloyers  with  a  full  week's  work  fi^ee,  in  order  to  helb  the 
firm  out  of  their  beguniary  diffiguldies.  Now,  they,  I 
admid,  were  fine,  noble,  sensible  fellows;  they  had  indel- 
ligence  enough  to  regognize  the  diffiguldies  of  the  sidua- 


24  SIR   REGINALD   SHOWS   HIS   GOOD   SENSE. 

tion,  and  do  grabble  with  them  in  a  sensible  way.  I 
warrand  you  they  always  worked  honesdly  and  efficiendly 
whether  their  embloyer's  eye  was  on  them  or  nod.  And 
they  will  find  their  reward  in  due  time;  their  embloyers 
will  never  rest  until  they  have  recouped  the  men  for 
their  generous  sacrifice.  But  where  will  you  find  another 
body  of  men  like  them?  They  are  only  the  one  noble, 
grand  exception  which  goes  do  brove  my  rule." 

"  Well,  professor,  though  what  you  have  said  is,  in  the 
main,  only  too  true,  I  cannot  agree  with  you  altogether; 
I  believe  there  are  a  few  good,  intelligent,  reliable  men  to 
be  found  here  and  there,  in  addition  to  those  splendid 
fellows  of  whom  you  have  just  told  us,"  said  the  baronet. 
"  But,"  he  continued,  "  I  will  not  attempt  to  constrain  you 
in  any  way.  If  you  cannot  find  exactly  what  you  want 
here,  import  men  from  abroad,  by  all  means.  I  have  a 
great  deal  of  sympathy  for  want  and  suflfering  when  they 
are  the  result  of  misfortune;  but  when  they  are  brought 
on  by  a  man's  own  laziness  or  perversity  he  must  go 
elsewhere  for  sympathy  and  help;  I  have  none  to  spare 
for  people  of  that  sort." 


•<oH 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE   REALIZATION   OF   A   SCIENTIST'S   DREAM. 

UNCTUAL  to  the  moment,  Professor  von  Sclialck- 
enberg  opened  the  door  of  the  smoke-room  at 
the  "  Migrants',"  and  entered  the  apartment  as 
the  deep-toned  notes  of  Big  Ben  were  heard  sounding  the 
hour  of  noon  on  the  day  following  that  npon  which 
occurred  the  conversation  recorded  in  the  preceding 
chapter.  Sir  Reginald  Elphinstone  was  already  there; 
and  after  a  few  words  of  greeting  the  two  men  left  the 
club  together,  and,  entering  the  baronet's  cab,  which  was 
in  waiting,  drove  away  to  the  banker's,  where  the  busi- 
ness of  the  money  transfer  was  soon  concluded. 

The  pair  then  separated;  and  for  the  next  fortnight 
the  professor  was  busy  all  day,  and  during  a  great  part 
of  the  night,  with  his  drawings  and  calculations.  At  the 
end  of  that  time,  having  completed  his  work  on  paper  to 
his  satisfaction,  he  took  advantage  of  a  fine  day  to  make 
a  little  excursion.  Proceeding  to  London  Bridge,  he  em- 
barked in  a  river  steamer,  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  indulged  himself  in  a  run  down  the  river.  He 
kept  his  eyes  sharply  about  him  as  the  boat  sped  down 
the  stream;  and  just  before  reaching  Blackwall  he  saw 


2.6  THE   FIRST   DECISIVE   STEP. 

what  he  thought  would  suit  him.  It  was  a  ship-building 
yard,  "  for  sale,  or  to  let,  with  immediate  possession,"  as 
an  immense  notice-board  informed  him.  Landing  at  the 
pier,  he  made  his  way  back  to  the  yard,  and,  having  with 
some  difficulty  found  the  man  in  charge  of  the  keys, 
proceeded  to  inspect  the  premises.  They  turned  out  to 
be  as  nearly  what  he  wanted  as  he  could  reasonably  hope 
to  find,  being  very  spacious,  with  a  full  supply  of  "plant," 
in  perfect  working  order,  and  with  enough  spare  room  to 
allow  of  the  laying  down  of  the  special  "  plant  "  necessary 
for  the  manufacture  of  his  new  metal.  Having  satisfied 
himself  upon  this  point,  he  next  obtained  the  address  of 
the  parties  who  had  the  letting  of  the  yard  and  works, 
and  proceeded  back  to  town  by  rail.  The  parties  of 
whom  he  was  now  in  search  proved  to  be  a  firm  of 
solicitors  having  offices  in  Lincoln's  Inn;  and  by  them, 
when  he  had  stated  the  object  of  his  call,  he  was  received 
with — figuratively — open  arms.  The  premises  had  been 
lying  idle  and  profitless  for  some  time;  and  they  were 
only  too  glad  to  let  them  to  him  upon  a  two  years'  lease 
upon  terms  highly  advantageous  to  him  and  his  client  the 
baronet. 

This  important  business  settled,  the  next  thing  was  to 
lay  down  the  special  plant  already  referred  to;  and  so 
energetic  was  the  professor  in  his  managemefit  of  this 
and  the  other  necessary  preliminaries  that  six  months 
sufficed  to  place  the  yard  in  a  fit  state  for  the  commence- 
ment of  actual  operations. 

And  now  the  professor's  troubles  began  in  real  earnest. 
Impressed  with  the  idea  that  he  was  perhaps  wrong  after 
all,  and  the  baronet  right,  in  his  judgment  of  the  British 
workman,  Herr  von  Schalckenberg  determined  to  run 


FIRMNESS?   OR   OBSTINACY]  27 

the  risk  of  giving  the  Englishmen  another  trial.  He  had 
no  difficulty  whatever  in  engaging  an  efficient  office 
staff;  but  when  it  came  to  securing  the  services  of  fore- 
men, mechanics,  and  labourers,  the  unhappy  German  was 
driven  almost  to  despair.  He  advertised  his  wants  widely, 
of  course,  and,  in  response  to  his  advertisements,  the 
applications  for  employment  poured  in  almost  literally 
without  number.  The  great  entrance-gates  of  the  works 
were  fairly  besieged,  and  the  roadway  outside  blocked  by 
the  great  army  of  applicants,  who  were  admitted  into  the 
presence  of  the  professor  in  gangs  of  twenty  at  a  time. 
The  professor  had  set  out  with  the  resolve  that  he  would 
deal  as  liberally  with  his  employes  as  he  possibly  could, 
consistently  with  justice  to  his  client,  the  baronet;  and 
with  this  object  he  had  spared  no  pains  to  ascertain  the 
rate  of  wages  then  ruling  for  such  men  as  he  wanted. 
With  the  data  thus  obtained  he  had  drawn  up  a  scale  of 
pay  which  he  was  prepared  to  offer,  and  beyond  which 
he  had  resolved  not  to  go.  Armed  with  this,  he  inter- 
viewed the  countless  applicants  as  they  presented  them- 
selves before  him;  and  the  result  was  enough  to  drive  to 
distraction  even  a  more  patient  man  than  Herr  von 
Schalckenberg.  The  applicants  proved  to  be,  almost 
without  exception,  trades-unionists,  out  on  strike  because 
their  employers  had  declined  or  had  been  unable  to  accede 
to  the  exorbitant  demands  of  the  workmen.  These 
workmen  had  in  many  cases  been  idle  for  months;  yet 
they  now  unhesitatingly  refused  employment,  and  refused 
it  insolently  too,  because  the  wages  offered  by  the  pro- 
fessor, though  fully  equal  to  those  paid  by  other  em- 
ployers, were  less  than  they  chose  to  consider  themselves 
entitled  to.     Their  wives  and  children  were,  by  their  own 


28  WORK  BEGUN   IN   EARNEST. 

admission,  naked  and  starving,  and  here  was  an  oppor- 
tunity to  clothe  and  feed  them,  yet  they  rejected  it 
scornfully.  And  naked,  starving  though  the  families  of 
these  wretches  might  be  and  actually  were,  almost  every 
man  of  them,  bearing  out  the  professor's  criticism  of 
them,  had  a  short  dirty  pipe  in  his  mouth  and  smelt 
strongly  of  drink.  There  were  a  few  exceptions  to  this 
rule — about  one  in  every  fifty  applicants,  perhaps — and 
they  were  almost  all  non-union  men,  who  eagerly  and 
thankfully  accepted  employment,  careless  of  the  sneers, 
gibes,  and  threats  of  the  others:  and  these  proved  to  be, 
with  scarcely  a  single  exception,  steady,  reliable,  honest, 
and  capable  men,  who  soon  worked  themselves  into  lead- 
ing positions.  The  professor  wanted  about  two  hundred 
men,  and  he  succeeded  in  securing  twenty;  after  which 
his  overtasked  patience  gave  out,  and  in  despair  he  ob- 
tained the  remainder  from  Germany. 

All  this  took  time;  and  it  was  not  until  nearly  eight 
months  after  the  conversation  in  the  "Migrants'"  smoke- 
room  that  the  professor  was  actually  able  to  commence 
work  in  the  building  yard.  Then,  however,  the  operations 
proceeded  apace.  Day  after  day  long  mineral  trains 
jolted  and  clanked  noisily  along  the  siding  and  into  the 
yard,  where  they  disgorged  their  loads  and  made  way  for 
still  other  trains;  day  after  day  clumsy  steam  colliers 
hauled  in  alongside  the  yard  wharf  and  under  the  fussy 
steam-cranes  to  discharge  their  cargoes;  and  very  soon 
the  lofty  furnace  chimneys  began  to  belch  forth  a  never- 
ending  cloud  of  inky  smoke.  Very  soon,  too,  the  belated 
wayfarer  might  possibly,  had  he  been  so  disposed,  have 
obtained  a  chance  glimpse,  through  accidental  chinks  in 
the  close  palisading,  of  a  long  range  of  brilliantly  lighted 


STRANGE   SIGHTS.  29 

buildings,  wherein,  if  the  doors  happened  to  be  inadver- 
tently left  open,  he  would  have  witnessed  huge  out- 
pourings of  dazzling  molten  metal,  which,  after  being 
subjected  to  the  action  of  certain  chemicals,  and  passing 
through  divers  strange  processes,  was  passed  as  it  solidi- 
fied through  a  series  of  powerful  rolling  mills,  which 
relentlessly  squeezed  and  flattened  it  out,  until  it  finally 
emerged,  still  glowing  red  with  fervent  heat,  in  the  shape 
of  long  flat  symmetrically  shaped  sheets,  or  angle-bars 
and  girders  of  various  sections.  And,  a  little  later  on, 
an  inquisitive  individual,  could  he  have  obtained  a  peep 
into  the  jealously  board ed-in  building  shed,  might  have 
seen  a  far-reaching  series  of  light  circular  ribs  of  glitter- 
ing silver-like  metal,  of  gradually  decreasing  diameter  as 
they  spread  each  way  from  the  central  rib,  rearing  them- 
selves far  aloft  toward  the  ground-glass  skylight  which 
surmounted  the  roof  of  the  building.  But  perhaps  the 
strangest  sight  of  all,  could  one  but  have  gained  admission 
into  the  forge  to  see  it,  was  the  huge  main  shaft  of  the 
ship,  which,  after  having  been  mercilessly  pounded  and 
battered  into  shape  by  the  giant  Nasmith  hammers,  was 
coolly  seized  by  only  a  couple  of  men,  and  by  them  easily 
carried  into  the  machine-shop,  there  to  receive  its  finish- 
ing touches  in  the  lathe. 

And  so  the  work  went  on,  steadily  yet  rapidly,  until  at 
length  it  so  nearly  approached  completion  that  the  pro- 
fessor was  every  week  enabled  to  dispense  with  the  ser- 
vices of  and  pay  oflf  an  increasingly  large  number  of  men. 
Finally,  the  day  arrived  when  the  score  or  so  of  painters 
and  decorators,  who  then  constituted  the  sole  remnant  of 
the  professor's  late  army  of  workmen,  completed  their  task 
of  beautifying  the  interior  of  the  aerial  ship,  and,  receiv- 


30  A   PLEASANT   LEAVE-TAKING. 

ing  their  pay,  were  dismissed  to  seek  a  new  field  of  labour. 
The  official  stafi'  now  alone  remained,  and  to  these,  after 
making  them  a  pleasant  little  complimentary  speech  ex- 
pressing his  appreciation  of  the  zeal  and  ability  with 
which  they  had  discharged  their  duties,  Herr  von  Schalck- 
enberg  announced  the  pleasant  intelligence  that,  although 
he  had  now  no  further  need  of  their  services,  Sir  Reginald 
Elphinstone  had,  upon  his — the  professor's — earnest  re- 
commendation, successfully  used  his  influence  to  secure 
them  other  and  immediate  employment.  The  professor 
then  handed  each  man  a  cheque  for  his  salary,  including 
three  months'  extra  pay  in  lieu  of  the  usual  notice  of 
dismissal  to  which  he  was  entitled,  too-ether  with  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  his  new  employer,  and,  shaking- 
hands  witli  the  stafi"  all  round,  bade  them  good-bye,  wish- 
ing them  individually  success  in  their  new  posts.  Then, 
watching  them  file  out  of  the  office  for  the  last  time,  he 
waited  until  all  had  left  the  premises,  when  he  turned  the 
key  in  the  door,  and  making  his  way  into  the  interior  of 
the  building  shed,  found  himself  at  length  alone  with  his 
completed  work. 

How  the  professor  spent  the  next  few  hours  no  man 
but  himself  can  say;  but  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that, 
man  of  science  though  he  was,  he  was  still  sufficiently 
human  to  regard  with  critical  yet  innocent  pride  and 
exultation  the  wonderful  fabric  which  owed  its  existence 
to  the  inventive  ingenuity  of  his  fertile  brain.  It  is  pro- 
bable, too,  that  when  he  had  at  length  gratified  himself 
with  an  exhaustive  contemplation  of  its  many  points  of 
interest,  he  went  on  board  the  ship,  and  with  his  own  ej^es 
and  hands  made  a  final  inspection  and  trial  of  all  her 
machinery,  to  satisfy  himself  that  everything  was  com- 


HAPPY   AND   SATISFIED. 


31 


plete  and  ready.  At  all  events,  however  the  professor 
may  have  passed  those  few  hours  of  precious  solitude, 
when  he  finally  handed  over  the  keys  to  the  yard  watch- 
man and  bade  him  "good-night"  late  on  that  summer 
evening,  his  whole  bearing  and  appearance  was  that  of  a 
thoroughly  happy  and  satisfied  man. 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE    ''FLYING   FISH.' 


URING  the  whole  of  the  following  week  .stores 
of  various  kinds  necessary  to  the  comfort  and 
sustenance  of  the  voyagers  were  being  constantly 
delivered  at  the  building  yard,  where  they  were  received 
by  the  valet  and  cook  of  Sir  Reginald  Elphinstone — the 
only  servants  or  assistants  of  any  kind  who  were  to 
accompany  the  expedition — and  promptly  stowed  away 
by  them,  under  the  direction  of  the  professor,  who  was 
exceedingly  anxious  to  accurately  preserve  the  proper 
"  trim"  of  the  vessel — a  much  more  important  and  diffi- 
cult matter  than  it  would  have  been  had  she  been  designed 
to  navigate  the  ocean  only.  By  mid-day  on  Saturday  the 
last  article  had  been  received,  including  the  personal 
belongings  of  the  travellers,  the  stowage  was  completed, 
and  everything  was  ready  for  an  immediate  start. 

At  three  o'clock  on  the  following  Monday  afternoon  the 
voyagers  met  in  the  smoke-room  of  the  "  Migrants'  "  as  a 
convenient  and  appropriate  rendezvous,  and,  without 
having  dropped  the  slightest  hint  to  anyone  respecting 
the  novel  nature  of  their  intended  journey,  quietly  said 
"  Good-bye  "  to  the  two  or  three  men  who  happened  to  be 


SIR  Reginald's  equanikity  is  upset.  33 

there,  and,  chartering  a  couple  of  hansoms,  made  the  best 
of  their  way  to  Fenchurch  Street  railway  station,  from 
whence  they  took  the  train  to  Black  wall.  On  emerging 
from  the  latter  station  they  placed  themselves  under  the 
guidance  of  the  professor,  and  were  by  him  conducted  in 
a  few  minutes  to  the  building  yard.  The  professor  was 
the  only  one  of  the  quartette  who  had  as  yet  set  eyes  on 
the  vessel  in  which  they  were  about  to  embark;  and  the 
remaining  three  naturally  felt  a  little  flutter  of  curiosity 
as  they  passed  through  the  gateway  and  saw  before  them 
the  enormous  closely-boarded  shed  which  jealously  hid 
from  all  unprivileged  eyes  the  latest  marvel  of  science. 
But  they  were  Englishmen,  and  as  such  it  was  a  part  of 
their  creed  to  preserve  an  absolutely  unruffled  equanimity 
under  every  conceivable  combination  of  circumstances,  so 
between  the  whiffs  of  their  cigars  they  chatted  carelessly 
about  anything  and  everything  but  the  object  upon  which 
their  thoughts  were  just  then  centred. 

But  the  baronet's  equanimity  was  for  a  moment  upset 
when  the  professor,  after  a  perhaps  unnecessarily  pro- 
longed fumbling  with  the  key,  threw  open  the  wicket 
which  gave  admission  to  the  interior  of  the  shed,  and, 
stepping  back  to  allow  his  companions  to  precede  him, 
exclaimed  in  tones  of  exultant  pride,  in  that  broken  Eng- 
lish of  his  w^hich  it  is  unnecessary  to  further  reproduce: 

"  Behold,  gentlemen,  the  embodiment  of  a  scientist's 
dream — the  Flying  Fish!'' 

The  baronet  advanced  a  pace  or  two,  then  stopped  short, 
aghast. 

"Good  heavens!"  he  ejaculated.  '*  What,  in  the  name 
of  madness,  have  you  done,  professor?  That  huge  object 
will  never  float  in  the  air;  and  I  should  say  it  will  be  a 

(359)  c 


34  THE    "FLYING  FISH." 

pretty  expensive  business  to  get  her  into  the  ivater,  if 
indeed  it  is  worth  while  to  put  her  there." 

The  other  two,  the  representatives  of  the  army  and  of 
the  navy,  though  probably  as  much  astonished  as  the 
baronet,  said  nothing.  They  knew  considerably  more 
than  the  latter  about  the  capabilities  of  science;  and 
though  they  might  possibly  entertain  grave  doubts  as  to 
the  success  of  the  professor's  experiment,  they  did  not 
feel  called  upon  to  express  an  ofF-hand  opinion  that  it 
would  prove  a  failure. 

The  baronet  might  well  be  excused  his  hasty  expression 
of  incredulity.  Towering  above  and  in  front  of  him, 
filling  up  the  entire  space  of  the  enormous  shed  from  end 
to  end  and  from  ground  to  roof-timbers,  he  saw  an 
immense  cylinder,  pointed  at  both  ends,  and  constructed 
entirely  of  the  polished  silver-like  metal  which  the  pro- 
fessor had  called  sethereum.  The  sides  of  the  ship  from 
stem  to  stern  formed  a  series  of  faultless  curves ;  the  coni- 
cal bow  or  fore  body  of  the  ship  being  somewhat  longer, 
and  therefore  sharper,  than  the  after  body,  which  partook 
more  of  the  form  of  an  ellipse  than  of  a  cone;  the  curvi- 
linear hull  was  supported  steadily  in  position  by  two  deep 
broad  bilge-keels,  one  on  either  side  and  about  one- third 
the  extreme  length  of  the  ship;  and,  attached  to  the  stern 
of  the  vessel  by  an  ingeniously  devised  ball-and-socket 
joint  in  such  a  manner  as  to  render  a  rudder  unnecessary, 
was  to  be  seen  a  huge  propeller  having  four  tremendously 
broad  sickle-shaped  blades,  the  palms  of  which  were  hol- 
lowed in  such  a  manner  as  to  gather  in  and  concentrate 
the  air,  or  water,  about  the  boss  and  powerfully  project  it 
thence  in  a  direct  line  with  the  lono;itudinal  axis  of  the 
ship.    Crowning  the  whole  there  w^as  a  low  superstructure 


A   GRACEFUL  OBJECT.  35 

immediately  over  and  of  the  same  length  as  the  bilge- 
keels,  very  much  resembling  the  upper  works  of*  a  double- 
bowed  vessel  such  as  are  some  of  the  small  Thames  river 
steamers.  This  was  decked  over,  and  afforded  a  promen- 
ade about  two  hundred  feet  long  by  thirty  feet  wide. 
And,  lastly,  rising  from  the  centre  of  this  deck  there  was 
a  spacious  pilot-house  with  a  dome-like  roof,  from  the 
interior  of  which  the  movements  of  the  vessel  could  be 
completely  controlled.  The  entire  hull  of  the  vessel,  ex- 
cepting the  double-bowed  superstructure,  was  left  un- 
painted,  and  it  shone  like  a  polished  mirror.  The  super- 
structure, however,  was  painted  a  delicate  gray  tint,  with 
the  relief  of  a  massive  richly  gilded  cable  moulding  all 
round  the  shear-strake  and  the  further  adornment  of  a 
broad  ribbon  of  a  rich  crimson  hue  rippling  through  grace- 
ful wreaths  of  gilded  scroll-work  at  bow  and  stern,  the 
name  Flying  Fish  being  inscribed  on  the  ribbon  in  gold 
letters.  Altogether,  notwithstanding  her  unusual  form, 
the  aerial  ship  was  an  exceedingly  graceful  and  elegant 
object,  and,  but  for  her  enormous  proportions,  looked 
admirably  adapted  for  her  work. 

Under  other  circumstances  the  professor  would  pro- 
bably have  been  seriously  offended  at  the  baronet's  in- 
credulous exclamation;  but  as  it  was  he  was  so  confident 
of  his  success — so  gratified  and  triumphant  altogether — 
that  he  could  afford  to  be  not  only  forgiving  but  actually 
tolerant.  He  therefore  replied  to  Sir  Reginald  only  with 
a  mute  smile  of  amused  compassion  for  the  baronet's 
lamentable  ignorance  and  unbelief. 

The  professor's  smile  somewhat  reassured  Sir  Reginald, 
though  he  still  continued  to  eye  his  novel  possession  very 
dubiously. 


36  NOVEL   SLEEPING   QUARTERS. 

"You  once  spoke  of  Atlantic  liners,"  he  at  last  remarked 
to  the  professor;  "but  surely  this  craft  is  larger  than  the 
larsfest  Atlantic  liner  afloat.     What  are  her  dimensions?" 

"  She  is  six  hundred  feet  long,  by  sixty  feet  diameter 
at  the  point  of  her  greatest  girth,"  quietly  replied  the 
professor. 

"And  do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  such  a  monster  will 
ever  float  in  the  air?"  ejaculated  the  baronet,  his  in- 
credulity returning  and  taking  possession  of  him  with 
tenfold  tenacity. 

"  I  do,"  answered  the  professor  firmly,  his  self-love  at 
length  becoming  slightly  rufiled.  "  In  that  ship  you  shall 
to-night  soar  higher  into  the  empyrean  than  mortal  has 
ever  soared  before;  and  after  that  you  shall,  if  you 
choose,  sleep  calmly  until  morning  at  the  bottom  of  the 
English  Channel.  By  and  by  at  the  dinner-table  I  will 
endeavour  to  demonstrate  to  you,  my  dear  friend,  that  it 
is  her  immense  proportions  alone  which  will  enable  her 
to  float  in  so  thin  a  fluid  as  air." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  baronet  in  the  tones  of  a  man 
still  utterly  unconvinced;  "if  you  say  so,  I  suppose  I  must 
doubt  no  more.  Now,  please,  introduce  to  us  the  novel 
details  of  this  wonderful  craft  of  yours." 

"With  pleasure,"  answered  the  professor,  his  brow 
clearing  and  a  gratified  smile  suffusing  his  countenance. 
"A  few  minutes  will  suffice  to  show  you  all  that  can  be 
seen  from  the  outside.  Those  small  circular  pieces  of 
glass  which  you  perceive  let  into  the  hull  here  and  there 
are,  as  you  have  no  doubt  already  surmised,  windows  to 
enable  us  to  observe  what  is  passing  outside.  The  larger 
windows  at  the  bow  and  stern  protect  powerful  electric 
lamps,  and  are  exclusively  for  the  purpose  of  lighting  up 


A    MOST   NECESSARY   PRECAUTION.  37 

our  surroundings  when  we  are  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 
This" — pointing  to  what  looked  like  a  circular  trap-door 
in  the  bottom  of  the  ship,  some  fifteen  feet  from  the 
centre  on  the  port  side — *'is  the  anchor  recess;  and  this" 
— pointing  to  a  corresponding  arrangement  on  the  star- 
board side — "  is  the  door  through  which  we  shall  obtain 
egress  from  and  access  to  the  ship  when  she  is  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea." 

"  Do  you  mean  by  that,  that  we  are  going  to  leave  the 
ship  and  walk  about  on  the  bed  of  the  ocean?"  asked  the 
baronet. 

"  Certainly,"  answered  the  professor  with  a  look  of 
surprise.  "  Our  exploration  of  the  ocean's  bed  will  pro- 
bably be  one  of  the  most  interesting  incidents  of  the 
expedition." 

The  baronet  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  the  professor" 
continued: 

"These  bilge-keels  serve  a  threefold  purpose;  they 
enable  the  ship  to  rest  steadily  and  firmly  on  the  ground, 
as  you  see,  which,  from  her  peculiar  form,  she  could  not 
otherwise  do;  they  also  form  the  sheaths,  so  to  speak,  of 
four  anchors  to  fasten  her  securely  to  the  ground  either 
above  or  beneath  the  water — a  most  necessary  precaution, 
believe  me;  and  they  also  add  considerably  to  the  cubical 
contents  of  the  water-chambers,  with  which  they  com- 
municate, which  will  help  to  sink  the  ship  to  the  bottom. 
Lastly,  there  is  the  propeller,  the  only  peculiarities  of 
which  are  its  great  diameter — fifty  feet — its  enormous 
surface  area,  and  the  fact  that  it  is  attached  to  the  hull 
in  such  a  way  as  to  admit  of  its  being  turned  freely  in 
any  direction,  thus  dispensing  with  all  necessity  for  a 
rudder." 


38  SIR   REGINALD'S   ANTICIPATION. 

"Why  have  you  left  the  hull  unpaintecl,  professor?  1 
suppose  you  had  some  good  reason  for  so  doing?"  re- 
marked the  colonel,  chiming  into  the  conversation. 

''  I  had  no  less  than  three  good  reasons  for  leaving  the 
hull  of  the  ship  unpainted,"  answered  the  professor.  "  In 
the  first  place,  sethereum  is  quite  insensible  to  the  attacks 
of  air  and  water — it  never  oxidizes,  and  paint  was  there- 
fore unnecessary  for  its  preservation.  In  the  next  place, 
the  quantity  of  paint  necessary  to  cover  that  enormous 
surface  would  weigh  something  considerable;  and,  as  I 
have  throughout  the  work  taken  the  utmost  pains  to 
keep  down  all  the  weight  to  the  lowest  ounce  consistent 
with  absolute  safety,  I  rejected  it  on  that  account.  And 
lastly,  I  take  it  that  we  are  anxious  to  avoid  all  unneces- 
sary observation ;  and  I  believe  this  cannot  be  better 
accomplished  than  by  preserving  the  brilliant  metallic 
lustre  of  the  hull,  which,  especially  when  we  are  float- 
ing in  mid-air,  will  reflect  the  tints  of  the  surrounding 
atmosphere,  and  so  make  it  almost  impossible  to  dis- 
tinguish us." 

"  Except  when  the  sun's  rays  fall  directly  upon  us,  eh, 
professor?"  remarked  Mildmay. 

"  In  that  case,"  returned  the  professor,  *'  observers  w411 
see  a  dazzling  flash  of  light  in  which  all  shape  will  be 
indistinguishable. 

"And  we  shall  thus  be  mistaken  for  a  meteorite,"  ex- 
claimed the  baronet  somewhat  sarcastically.  "Excellent! 
admirable!  I  really  must  congratulate  you,  professor, 
upon  the  wonderful  foresight  with  which  you  seem  to 
have  provided  for  every  possible  and  impossible  emer- 
gency.    Now,  what  is  the  next  marvel?" 

"  There  is  nothing  more  down  here.    We  will  now  pro- 


ON   BOARD.  39 

ceed  on  board,  if  you  please,  gentlemen,"  said  the  professor ; 
and  he  forthwith  led  the  way  up  a  ladder  which  leaned 
against  the  vessel's  lofty  side.  This  conducted  them  as 
far  as  the  upper  curve  of  her  cylindrical  bilge,  at  which 
point  they  encountered  a  flight  of  light  ornamental  open- 
work steps  permanently  attached  to  the  ship's  side,  up 
which  they  passed  to  the  gangway  in  the  stout  metal 
railing  which  served  instead  of  bulwark,  and  so  reached 
the  spacious  promenade  deck.  Looking  down  into  the 
yard  from  this  coign  of  vantage,  they  seemed  to  be  an 
enormous  height  from  the  ground ;  and  the  baronet 
shrugged  his  shoulders  more  expressively  than  ever  as 
he  glanced  first  below  and  then  around  him,  realizing 
more  fully  than  ever,  as  he  did  so,  the  immense  propor- 
tions of  his  new  possession.  He  said  nothing,  however, 
but  turned  inquiringly  to  the  professor. 

"  This  way,  gentlemen,  if  you  please,"  said  the  German, 
in  answer  to  the  look;  and  he  led  them  aft  to  what  may 
be  styled  the  quarter-deck. 

"  You  spoke  about  the  weight  of  a  coat  of  paint  on  the 
hull  just  now,  but  I  see  you  have  planked  the  deck.  The 
w^eight  of  all  this  planking  must  be  something  consider- 
able," remarked  Mildmay. 

"A  mere  trifle;  it  is  only  a  thin  veneering  just  to  give 
a  secure  and  comfortable  foothold,"  remarked  the  pro- 
fessor. He  paused  at  what  looked  like  a  trap-door  in 
the  deck  and  said: 

"  We  shall  not  be  always  soaring  in  the  air  nor  groping 
about  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea;  we  shall  sometimes  be 
ridinor  on  the  surface;  and  I  have  therefore  thouo;ht  it 
advisable  to  provide  a  couple  of  boats.  Here  is  one  of 
them." 


40         A  VERY  CONVENIENT  ARRANGEMENT. 

He  stooped  down,  seized  hold  of  and  turned  a  ring 
in  the  flap,  and  raised  the  trap- door,  disclosing  a  dark 
pit-like  recess  of  considerable  dimensions.  Letting  the 
flap  fold  back  flat  on  the  deck,  the  professor  then  stooped 
down  and  grasped  the  handle  of  a  horizontal  lever 
which  lay  just  below  the  level  of  the  deck,  and  drew  it 
up  into  a  perpendicular  position,  and,  as  he  did  so,  a  pair 
of  davits,  the  upper  portions  of  which  had  been  plainly 
visible,  rose  through  the  aperture  close  to  the  protecting 
railing,  bringing  with  them  a  handsomely  modelled  boat 
hanging  from  the  tackles.  The  professor  deftly  turned 
the  davits  outward,  and  there  hung  the  boat  at  the  quar- 
ter in  the  exact  position  she  would  have  occupied  in  an 
ordinary  ship. 

"Bravo,  professor;  very  clever  indeed!"  exclaimed 
Mildmay.  "But  what  is  the  object  of  those  four  curved 
tubes  projecting  through  the  boat's  bottom?" 

"  Those  tubes,"  answered  the  professor,  "  are  the  boat's 
means  of  propulsion.  You  see,"  he  explained,  "being  built 
of  sethereum,  the  boat  is  extremely  light,  and  draws  so 
little  water  that  a  screw  propeller  would  be  quite  useless 
to  her.  So  I  have  substituted  those  tubes  instead.  One 
pair,  you  will  observe,  points  toward  the  stern,  and  one 
pair  toward  the  bow.  The  boat's  engine  is  a  powerful 
three-cylinder  pump,  and  it  sucks  the  water  strongly  in 
through  the  tubes  which  point  forward,  discharging  it  as 
powerfully  out  through  those  which  point  astern;  thus 
drawing  and  driving  the  boat  along  at  a  speed  of  about 
twelve  knots  per  hour,  which  is  as  fast,  I  fancy,  as  we 
shall  ever  want  her  to  go.  If  you  want  to  go  astern  the 
movement  of  a  single  lever  reverses  the  wliole  process. 
There  is  a  similar  boat  on  the  other  side." 


*'A   VERITABLE  MAGICIAN.'*  41 

The  boat  having  been  returned  to  her  hiding-place, 
the  professor  next  led  his  friends  to  the  structure  which 
occupied  the  centre  of  the  deck.  It  was  a  perfectly  plain 
erection,  with  curved  sides  meeting  in  a  kind  of  stem  and 
stern-post  at  its  forward  and  after  ends,  wdth  a  curved 
dome-like  roof,  several  small  circular  windows  all  round 
its  sides,  and  no  apparent  means  of  entry. 

"  Why,  how  is  this,  professor  ?  You  have  actually  built 
your  pilot-house — for  such  I  suppose  it  is — without  a 
door,"  exclaimed  the  baronet  with  returning  good-humour 
as  he  perceived  that,  even  in  the  event  of  the  Flying  Fish 
failing  to  fly,  he  would  still  have  a  very  wonderful  ship 
for  his  money. 

"  As  you  have  rightly  supposed,  this  is  the  pilot-house," 
answered  the  professor,  with  one  hand  pressing  lightly 
against  the  gleaming  wall  of  the  structure.  "But  as  to  its 
being  without  a  door,  you  are  mistaken,  for  there  it  is." 

And  as  he  spoke  a  door,  hitherto  unnoticed  in  the  side 
of  the  building,  flew  open. 

"Why,  you  are  a  veritable  magician,  professor!  How 
on  earth  did  you  manage  that?"  exclaimed  the  colonel. 

"  Easily  enough,"  answered  the  professor.  "  Just  look 
here,  all  of  you.  This  is  a  secret  door  which  it  is  neces- 
sary you  should  all  know  how  to  open.  Now,  there  are 
four  of  us,  are  there  not?  Very  well;  find  the  fourth  rivet 
from  the  bottom  in  the  fourth  row  from  the  after  end  of 
the  building — here  it  is — push  it  to  your  left — not  press 
it;  pressing  is  no  good — and  open  flies  the  door.  Push  the 
rivet  to  the  right  when  the  door  is  open,  and  you  shut  it 
— so,"  suiting  the  action  to  the  word.  "  Now,  Sir  Regin- 
ald, let  me  see  if  you  can  open  that  door." 

The  baronet  opened  and  closed  the  door  without  diffi- 


42  THE   INTERIOR  OF  THE   PILOT-HOUSE. 

culty;  «ind  then  the  other  two  essayed  the  attempt  with 
similarly  successful  results. 

"  That  is  all  right,"  commented  the  professor.  "  Now 
step  inside,  please;  and  close  the  door — so:  when  you 
want  to  open  it  from  the  inside  you  simply  turn  this 
handle — so,  and  open  it  comes." 

The  quartette  now  found  themselves  inside  the  pilot- 
house, which  proved  to  be  two  stories  in  height.  On 
their  right  hand  they  beheld  the  companion-way  leading 
to  the  interior  of  the  ship,  with  a  wide  flight  of  stairs  of 
delightfully  easy  descent,  handsomely  carpeted,  and  a 
magnificent  massive  handrail  and  balusters  of  gleaming 
sethereum.  The  square  opening  to  the  companion-way 
was  also  protected  by  a  similar  handrail  and  balusters, 
producing  an  exceedingly  rich  effect  and  seeming  to  pro- 
mise a  corresponding  sumptuousness  of  fitting  in  the 
saloons  below. 

Just  clear  of  the  head  of  the  companion  staircase  and 
leading  up  one  side  of  the  pilot-house  was  another  light 
staircase  of  open  grid-work  leading  to  the  floor  above, 
which,  at  a  height  of  seven  feet,  spanned  the  building 
from  side  to  side.  This  floor  was  also  of  light  open  grid- 
work,  affording  easy  verbal  communication  between  per- 
sons occupying  the  different  stories  in  the  pilot-house. 
Through  this  open  grid-floor  could  be  seen  various  appara- 
tus, the  objects  of  which  the  new-comers  were  naturally 
anxious  to  learn;  and  to  this  floor  the  professor  accord- 
ingly led  his  companions  up  the  staircase. 

The  first  object  to  which  he  directed  attention  was  a 
long  straight  bar  of  sethereum  handsomely  moulded  into 
the  form  of  a  thick  cable,  and  finished  off  at  the  outer 
end  with  the  semblance  of  a  "  Matthew  Walker "  knot. 


TWO   IMPORTANT  MATTERS.  43 

This  bar  issued  at  its  inner  end  from  a  handsomely  pan- 
elled and  moulded  casins:  which  extended  down  throuo^h 
both  floors  of  the  pilot-house,  presumably  covering  in  and 
protecting  the  mechanism  with  which  the  bar  was  obvi- 
ously connected. 

"  This,"  said  the  professor,  laying  his  hand  on  the  bar, 
*'  is  the  steering  apparatus — the  tiller  as  you  call  it — of 
the  ship.  It  moves,  as  you  see,  in  all  directions,  and 
communicates  a  corresponding  movement  to  the  propeller 
— as  you  may  see,  if  you  will  take  the  trouble  to  look 
out  through  one  of  those  windows." 

The  trio  immediately  did  so,  and  saw,  as  the  professor 
had  stated,  that  wdth  every  movement  of  the  tiller,  right 
or  left,  up  or  down,  the  propeller  inclined  itself  at  a  cor- 
responding angle.  A  handsome  binnacle  compass  stood 
immediately  in  front  of  the  tiller,  but  the  professor  did 
not  call  attention  to  it,  rightly  assuming  that  his  com- 
panions were  fully  acquainted  with  its  use  and  purpose. 

On  the  professor's  right,  as  he  stood  at  the  tiller,  was 
an  upright  lever  w^orking  in  a  quadrant,  and  communi- 
cating, like  the  tiller — and  indeed  all  the  other  apparatus 
— wdth  the  interior  of  the  ship. 

"This,"  said  the  professor,  directing  attention  to  the 
lever,  "  is  the  lever  which  controls  the  valves  of  the  main 
engines.  I  have  fashioned  and  arranged  it  exactly  like 
the  corresponding  lever  in  a  locomotive.  Placed  verti- 
cally, thus,  the  engines  remain  motionless.  Throw^n  for- 
ward, thus,  the  engines  will  turn  ahead.  And  thrown 
backw^ard,  thus,  they  wall  turn  astern.  That  is  simple 
enough.  And  so  is  this,"  directing  attention  to  a  dial  on 
his  left  hand  which  stood  facing  him.  The  dial  had  a 
single  hand  w^hich  was  obviously  intended  to  travel  over 


44  A  VERY  NECESSARY  CAUTION. 

a  carefully  graduated  arc  of  ninety  degrees  painted  on 
the  dial-face,  and  which,  in  addition  to  the  graduations, 
was  marked  in  the  proper  positions  with  the  words 
"Stop;"  "Quarter  speed;"  "Half  speed;"  "Full  speed;" 
and  also  with  two  arrows  pointing  in  opposite  directions 
marked  "  On  "  and  "  Off"  respectively.  Just  beneath  the 
dial  was  a  small  wheel  with  a  crank -handle  projecting 
from  one  of  its  spokes,  and  on  this  crank-handle  the  pro- 
fessor now  laid  his  hand. 

"This,"  he  said,  "regulates  the  valve  which  admits 
vapour  into  the  engine;  and  the  dial-hand  shows  the  ex- 
tent to  which  the  valve  is  opened.  Turn  the  wheel  in 
the  direction  of  the  arrow  marked  'On' — thus,  and  you 
admit  vapour  into  the  engine.  You  will  observe  that,  as 
I  turn  the  wheel,  the  hand  on  the  dial  travels  over  the 
arc  and  indicates  the  extent  to  which  the  valve  is  open. 
There;  now  it  is  fully  open,  and  the  c^dinders  are  full  of 
vapour."  Then  he  quickly  reversed  the  wheel  and  sent 
the  index  hand  back  to  "  Stop,"  keeping  a  wary  eye  on 
his  companions  as  he  did  so. 

"These  are  dangerous  things  to  meddle  with,"  he  re- 
marked apologetically.  "  The  engines  are  of  one  hundred 
thousand  horse-power;  and,  full  as  the  ship  now  is  of  air 
at  the  atmospheric  pressure,  they  would  drive  her  irresis- 
tibly along  the  ground  and  through  all  obstacles.  I  must 
beg  that  none  of  you  will  meddle  with  the  machinery 
until  you  are  fully  acquainted  with  its  tremendous  power." 

"What  is  this  pendulum-looking  affair,  professor?"  asked 
the  colonel,  pointing  to  a  pendulum  the  point  of  which 
hung  in  a  shallow  basin-like  depression  thickly  studded 
with  needle-points  which  the  pendukim  just  cleared  by 
a  hair  s-breadth. 


ONE   OF  THE   PROFESSOR'S   CLEVER  DEVICES.  45 

"  That,"  explained  the  professor,  "  is  a  device  for  auto- 
matically regulating  the  balance,  or  "trim"  as  you  call  it, 
of  the  ship  when  she  is  floating  in  the  air.  You  will 
readily  understand  that  when  freed  of  air,  and  thus  de- 
prived of  weight,  as  it  were,  the  most  trifling  matter  will 
suffice  to  derange  her  equilibrium;  one  of  us,  walking 
from  side  to  side,  or  from  one  end  of  the  deck  to  the 
other,  would  very  seriously  incline  her  from  the  horizontal, 
and  thus  alter  the  direction  of  her  flight,  possibly  with 
disastrous  results;  so  I  have  devised  this  little  apparatus 
to  prevent  all  that.  This  pendulum,  as  you  see,  is  so 
delicately  poised  that  it  will  instantly  respond  to  the 
slightest  deviation  from  a  horizontal  position,  and,  sway- 
ing over  one  of  these  needle-points,  will  send  an  electric 
current  to  the  air-pump,  causing  it  to  promptly  inject  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  air  into  the  proper  chamber  to  re- 
store the  equilibrium.  But,  as  we  may  desire  occasion- 
ally to  direct  the  flight  of  the  ship  in  an  upward  or  a 
downward  direction,  I  have  so  arranged  matters  that  the 
apparatus  shall  be  thrown  out  of  gear  when  the  tiller  is 
sloped  in  either  direction  out  of  the  horizontal;  and  as 
we  shall  not  require  it  when  the  ship  is  on  or  below  the 
surface  of  the  ocean,  I  have  here  provided  a  small  knob 
by  pressing  which  inwards  the  apparatus  can  also  be 
thrown  out  of  gear  until  it  is  again  w^anted." 

"Excellent!"  exclaimed  the  baronet.  "I  must  again  con- 
gratulate you,  professor,  on  your  truly  wonderful  fore- 
thought.    And  what  is  this,  pray?" 

"  That,"  said  the  German,  "  is  the  controlling  lever  of 
the  air-pump.  When  we  want  to  sink  into  the  depths 
of  the  ocean,  I  thrust  this  lever  over — so;  and  the  pump 
at  once  begins  to  pump  air  into  the  air-chambers." 


"  Out  of  them,  I  suppose  you  mean,"  interrupted  the 
baronet. 

''Into  them,  I  mean,"  insisted  the  professor.  "You 
must  understand,"  he  continued,  noting  the  baronet's  look 
of  astonishment,  "  that  air,  like  everything  else,  has  weight 
Feathers  are  light;  but  you  may  pack  them  so  tightly 
into  a  receptacle  as  to  make  them  very  weighty;  and  so 
is  it  with  air:  the  more  air  you  force  into  a  receptacle  of 
given  size  the  heavier  you  make  that  receptacle;  and, 
provided  that  both  your  forcing  apparatus  and  your 
receptacle  are  strong  enough  to  endure  the  tremendous 
pressure,  you  may  at  last  force  enough  air  into  the  re- 
ceptacle to  sink  it.  And  that  is  precisely  what  we  shall 
do;  we  shall  force  air  into  our  air-chambers  until  the  ship 
is  on  the  point  of  sinking,  and  we  shall  then  close  the 
valves,  stop  the  air-pump,  and,  opening  the  sea-cocks  of 
the  water-chambers,  admit  water  enough  into  the  ship  to 
send  her  to  the  bottom  like  a  stone." 

"Well!  you  astonish  me,  I  freely  admit,"  gasped  the 
baronet.  "  This  is  the  first  time  I  ever  heard  of  a  ship 
being  sunk  by  filling  her  with  air.  And  then  the  cool 
way  in  which  you  talk  of  our  '  sinking  to  the  bottom  like 
a  stone!'  I  undertook  this  enterprise  because  I  wanted 
to  experience  a  new  sensation;  and  it  appears  to  me  that 
there  are  a  good  many  of  them  in  store  for  me.  However, 
it  is  all  right;  go  on  with  your  explanations,  my  dear 
sir. 

"These,"  said  the  professor,  indicating  several  levers 
marked  with  distino^uishinoj  labels  rano^ed  all  alono-  one 
side  of  the  pilot-house,  "are  the  levers  opening  and  closing 
the  valves  of  the  air  and  water  chambers,  and  need  no 
further  description.     This,"  he  continued,  pointing  to  a 


THE   MEANS   OF  ATTACK  AND   DEFENCE.  47 

small  box  with  a  little  knob  projecting  out  of  the  top  of 
it,"  is  the  apparatus  for  firing  our  torpedo  shells." 

The  baronet  glanced  mutely  round  at  his  companions, 
and  shrugged  his  shoulders  expressively,  as  who  should 
say,  "What  next?" 

The  colonel  and  the  lieutenant  nodded  approvingly, 
however,  and  the  latter  said: 

"  That  is  capital,  professor;  we  ought  to  have  the  means 
of  fighting  the  ship,  if  necessary;  but  I  was  beginning  to 
fear  you  had  overlooked  that  matter,  having  seen  no  pro- 
vision for  anything  of  the  kind.  But  where  is  your  tor- 
pedo port?  you  omitted  to  point  that  out  to  us  when  we 
were  under  the  ship's  bottom." 

"There  was  nothing  to  show,"  replied  the  professor; 
"  and  I  can  explain  the  matter  just  as  well  up  here  as  I 
could  have  done  when  we  were  down  below.  The  conical 
point  which  forms  the  extreme  forward  end  of  the  ship 
is  solid  and  movable.  Under  ordinary  circumstances  it 
remains  firmly  fixed  in  position;  but  when  it  becomes 
necessary  to  fire  a  torpedo-shell  the  solid  point  is  made 
to  slide  in  alono^  a  PTOOved  tube  for  a  certain  distance; 
the  shell  is  then  placed  in  the  tube  and  fired,  when  the 
solid  point  follows  it  out  and  becomes  again  securely 
fixed  in  its  former  position.  In  addition  to  this  arrange- 
ment, I  have  two  large  guns  which  can  be  worked 
through  ports  in  the  dining-saloon,  and  six  wonderful 
magazine  rifles  invented  by  a  Mr.  Maxim,  a  friend  of 
mine.  They  are  perhaps  the  most  wonderful  pieces  of 
mechanism  in  the  ship,  for  when  the  first  shot  has  been 
fired  they  will  go  on  firing  themselves  at  the  marvellous 
rate  of  six  hundred  shots  per  minute  so  long  as  you  keep 
them  supplied  with  cartridges.     Then  I  have  also  pro- 


48  OUTSIDE   THE   THRESHOLD. 

vided  an  ample  supply  of  ordinary  guns  and  rifles,  swords, 
pikes,  pistols,  and  in  fact  everything  we  are  likely  to 
require  for  the  purposes  of  sport  or  defence.  These  small 
knobs  afford  the  means  of  lighting  the  electric  lamp  in 
the  lantern  on  the  top  of  the  pilot-house  and  those  in  the 
bow  and  stern  of  the  ship.  And  that  is  all  to  which  I 
think  I  need  direct  your  attention  here  at  present.  Now, 
if  you  please,  we  will  go  down  and  look  at  the  ma- 
chinery." 

The  party  accordingly  left  the  pilot-house  and  directed 
their  steps  below  by  way  of  the  grand  staircase.  At  the 
bottom  of  this  they  found  themselves  upon  a  spacious 
landing  magnificently  carpeted,  and  lighted  at  each  end  by 
a  circular  window  in  the  side  of  the  ship.  In  front  of  them 
as  they  descended  the  staircase,  and  at  a  distance  of  about 
twelve  feet  from  its  base,  a  partition  stretched  from  side 
to  side  of  the  ship,  evidently  forming  one  of  the  saloon 
bulkheads.  Along  the  face  of  this  a  series  of  Corinthian 
pilasters,  supporting  a  noble  cornice  at  the  junction  of  wall 
and  ceiling,  divided  up  the  partition  into  a  corresponding 
number  of  panels,  which  were  enriched  with  elegant 
mouldings  of  fanciful  scroll-work  and  painted  in  creamy 
white  and  gold.  In  two  instances,  however,  at  points 
which  divided  the  partition  into  three  equal  parts,  the 
panels  were  replaced  by  handsome  massively  moulded 
doors  of  unpainted  sethereum,  imparting  a  very  rich  and 
handsome  effect.  These  doors  were,  however,  closed,  and 
the  curiosity  of  the  new-comers  as  to  what  was  to  be 
seen  on  the  other  side  of  them  had  to  remain  for  a  short 
time  ungratitied. 

Passing  round  to  the  back  of  the  grand  staircase  (in 
which  direction  lay  the  sleeping  apartments,  bath-rooms. 


HIGH  PRESSURE.  49 

and  domestic  offices)  they  found  themselves  at  the  head 
of  another  staircase  much  narrower  than  the  former.  The 
one  now  before  them  was  only  about  four  feet  wide, 
winding  cork-screw  fashion  round  the  tube  which  en- 
cased the  communications  between  the  pilot-house  and 
the  engine-room,  &c.,  and  it  was  in  its  turn  encased  in 
a  cylindrical  bulk-head,  in  which,  on  their  way  below, 
they  passed  several  doors  giving  access,  as  the  professor 
explained,  to  the  different  decks. 

Winding  their  way  downward  for  a  considerable  dis- 
tance they  at  length  reached  the  foot  of  the  staircase  and 
passed  at  once  through  a  doorway  marked  "Engine  Room." 
The  first  sensation  of  those  who  now  visited  this  apart- 
ment for  the  first  time  was  disappointment.  The  room, 
though  full  of  machinery,  was  small,  absurdly  so,  it 
seemed  to  them.  So  also  with  the  machinery  itself.  The 
main  engines,  consisting  of  a  pair  of  three-cylinder  com- 
pound engines,  though  made  throughout  of  sethereum, 
and  consequently  presenting  an  exceedingly  handsome 
appearance,  suggested  more  the  idea  of  an  exquisite  model 
in  silver  than  anything  else,  the  pair  occupying  very  little 
more  space  than  those  of  one  of  the  larger  Thames  river 
steamers.  The  impression  of  diminutiveness  and  inade- 
quacy of  power  passed  away,  however,  when  the  professor 
informed  his  companions  that  the  vapour  would  enter  the 
high-pressure  cylinder  at  the  astounding  pressure  of  five 
thousand  pounds  to  the  square  inch,  and  that,  though  the 
engines  themselves  would  only  make  fifty  revolutions 
per  minute,  the  propeller  would  be  made,  by  means  of 
speed-multiplying  gear,  to  revolve  at  the  rate  of  one 
thousand  times  per  minute  in  air  of  ordinary  atmospheric 
pressure. 

(359)  D 


50  WHAT  WOULD   HAPPEN  1 

"  But  how  on  earth  do  you  manage  to  get  your  vapour 
up  to  that  tremendous  pressure?"  asked  the  colonel. 

"Oh!"  answered  the  professor,  "that  is  a  mere  matter 
of  mixing.  According  to  the  proportions  in  which  the 
crystals  and  the  acid  are  mingled  together,  so  is  the 
pressure  of  the  vapour." 

"And  how  do  you  mingle  them  together?"  asked  the 
lieutenant. 

"  This,"  said  the  professor,  leading  them  up  to  a  small 
boiler-like  vessel,  "is  the  generator.  The  crystals  are 
placed  in  a  hopper  at  one  end,  and  the  acid  in  that  small 
tank  at  the  other,  from  whence  they  are  respectively 
conducted  along  tubes  into  a  small  well  in  the  bottom  of 
the  generator,  where,  their  proportions  being  regulated 
by  the  size  of  the  tubes  through  which  they  pass,  they 
mingle  and  generate  a  vapour  having  a  pressure  of  five 
thousand  pounds  on  the  square  inch.  See,  there  is  the 
gauge,  and  it  is  now  registering  a  pressure  of  five 
thousand  pounds." 

"  Good  Heavens,  man!"  exclaimed  the  baronet,  starting 
back;  "  you  don't  mean  to  say  that  your  generator  is  now, 
at  this  moment,  subjected  to  that  enormous  pressure  of 
more  than  two  tons  per  square  inch?  Supposing  it  ex- 
ploded, what  would  become  of  us?" 

"We  should  be  consumed  in  an  instant  by  the  fierce  heat 
of  the  liberated  vapour,"  replied  the  professor  calmly. 
"  But,"  he  continued,  "  you  need  have  no  apprehension  of 
an  explosion.  When  that  generator  was  being  made  I 
had  a  second  one  constructed  at  the  same  time,  precisely 
similar  in  every  respect,  and  this  second  one  \[  tested  to 
destruction,  with  the  satisfactory  result  that  it  endured 
without  distress  a  pressure  of  thirty-five  tons  per  square 


THE  DIVING-ROOM.  51 

inch,  showed  the  first  signs  of  weakness  when  it  became 
subjected  to  a  pressure  of  thirty-eight  tons,  and  burst  at 
a  joint  when  under  a  pressure  of  forty -three  tons  per 
square  inch.  You  may  therefore  feel  quite  satisfied  that 
the  generator  is  fully  equal  to  a  continuous  pressure  of 
at  least  fifteen  tons,  instead  of  the  trifle  over  two  which 
it  will  have  to  sustain." 

The  remainder  of  the  machinery  possessing  no  very 
startling  or  novel  features,  it  was  passed  by  with  merely 
an  admiring  glance  at  its  exquisite  finish;  and  the  quar- 
tette, leaving  the  engine-room,  passed  round  on  the  other 
side  of  the  spiral  staircase  to  a  room  marked  "Diving 
Room." 

Entering  this  they  found  themselves  in  an  apartment 
about  twenty  feet  square,  one  side  of  which  was  wholly 
occupied  by  four  cupboards  labelled  respectively  "  Sir 
Reginald  Elphinstone,"  "Colonel  Lethbridge,"  "Lieu- 
tenant Mildmay,"  and  "  Von  Schalckenberg." 

"  This,"  explained  the  professor,  "  is  the  room  wherein 
we  shall  equip  ourselves  for  our  submarine  rambles;  and 
here,"  opening  one  of  the  cupboards,  "  are  the  costumes 
which  we  shall  wear  upon  such  occasions." 

The  opened  cupboard  contained  an  ordinary  india- 
rubber  diving-dress,  a  sort  of  double  knapsack,  a  number 
of  heterogeneous  articles,  and,  lastly,  a  suit  of  armour. 

"  Why,  professor,  what,  in  the  name  of  all  that  is 
comical,  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?  Are  we  to  walk  forth 
among  the  fishes  equipped  like  the  knights  of  old?"  asked 
the  baronet,  pointing  to  the  armour. 

"  I  will  explain,"  said  the  professor.  "  In  an  ordinary 
diving-dress  a  man  can  only  descend  to  a  depth  of  some- 
thing  like    fifteen   fathoms.      Instances   have   certainly 


52  A   NOVEL  EQUIPMENT. 

occurred  where  this  depth  has  been  exceeded,  a  Liverpool 
diver  named  Hooper  having  descended  as  far  as  thirty- 
four  fathoms,  if  my  information  is  correct;  but  this  was 
quite  an  exceptional  circumstance;  and,  as  I  have  said, 
fifteen  fathoms  may  be  taken  as  the  average  depth  at 
which  a  man  can  move  about  and  work  in  comfort.  The 
reason  for  this  limit  is  that  beyond  it  the  pressure  of  the 
water  on  the  exposed  hands  is  so  great  as  to  drive  the 
blood  to  the  head  and  bring  on  a  fainting  fit,  if  nothing- 
worse;  besides  which,  the  volume  of  air  inside  the  dress 
necessary  to  counteract  the  outside  pressure  of  the  water 
would  be  so  great  as  to  speedily  result  in  suffocation. 
Now,  if  our  explorations  were  limited  to  a  depth  of  fifteen 
fathoms  only  they  would  hardly  be  worth  the  under- 
taking; so  I  have  devised  these  suits  of  armour,  in  w^hich 
we  may  safely  explore  the  profoundest  depths  of  the 
ocean  to  which  the  Flying  Fish  can  penetrate.  The 
armour  is,  as  you  see,  composed  of  a  number  of  small 
scales  or  plates  of  sethereum,  and  is  so  constructed  that, 
whilst  it  is  perfectly  flexible,  permitting  the  utmost 
freedom  of  movement  to  the  wearer,  it  is  also  absolutely 
water-tight  and  incompressible,  no  matter  how  great  the 
exterior  pressure  to  which  it  is  subjected.  The  wearer 
of  it  will  consequently  be  perfectly  protected  at  all  points 
from  the  enormous  water  pressure;  and  he  will  be  able 
to  breathe  in  comfort,  his  air  being  supplied  to  him  at  the 
normal  atmospheric  pressure.  In  equipping  himself  the 
diver  will  first  don  the  india-rubber  diving-dress  in  the 
usual  way.  Then  he  will  assume  this  double-haversack, 
the  larger  chamber  of  which,  worn  on  the  back,  will 
contain  a  supply  of  air,  whilst  the  smaller  of  the  two, 
worn  on  the  chest,  is  charged  with  a  supply  of  chemicals 


A   DEADLY   WEAPON.  53 

for  the  purification  of  the  air  after  it  has  been  breathed. 
The  two  are  connected  together  by  a  pair  of  flexible  tubes, 
as  you  may  perceive,  and  the  mere  expansion  and  con- 
traction of  the  chest,  in  the  act  of  breathing,  sets  in 
motion  the  simple  apparatus  which  produces  the  necessary 
circulation  of  air  between  the  two  chambers.  Having 
secured  this  haversack  in  position  the  diver  next  dons 
his  body  armour,  and  straps  about  his  waist  this  belt, 
with  its  electric  lamp  and  its  dagger.  The  dagger,  as  you 
see,  is  double-bladed;  it  has  a  haft  of  insulating  material, 
and  the  blades  have  connected  to  them  this  insulated  wire 
at  the  point  where  the  blades  and  the  handle  unite.  You 
thus  have  a  weapon  which,  on  being  plunged  into  the 
body  of  a  foe,  not  only  inflicts  a  severe  wound,  but  also 
administers  an  electric  shock  of  such  terrible  intensity  as 
must  result  in  instant  death.  The  last  portion  of  the 
armour  to  be  assumed  is  the  helmet,  on  the  top  of  which 
is  securely  fixed  an  electric  lamp,  which,  with  the  aid  of 
the  one  at  the  belt,  will  give  us,  I  imagine,  as  much  light 
as  we  are  likely  to  need. 

"Having  donned  our  armour  we  pass  out  of  this  chamber 
into  the  next,  which  I  call  the  chamber  of  egress,  care- 
fully closing  the  door  behind  us." 

The  professor,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  ushered 
his  companions  into  the  next  chamber,  closing  the  door 
behind  him,  and  they  found  themselves  in  a  small  room 
some  ten  feet  square  by  seven  feet  in  height.  This  room, 
in  common  with  the  diving-room,  was  brilliantly  lighted 
by  an  electric  lamp  inclosed  in  a  lantern  of  abnormally 
thick  glass. 

"Arrived  here,"  continued  the  professor,  "we  are  all 
ready  to  sally  forth  upon  our  submarine  explorations;  all 


54  HOW   IT   IS   DONE. 

we  have  to  do  therefore  is,  hrst  to  fill  the  chamber  with 
water  by  means  of  this  valve,  then  open  the  trap- door 
and  step  forth  upon  the  bottom  of  the  sea." 

As  the  professor  said  this  he  released  the  fastenings  of 
the  door,  and  it  fell  down,  forming  a  sort  of  inclined 
plane,  over  which  they  passed,  to  find  themselves  once 
more  on  the  solid  earth,  under  the  ship's  bottom,  with 
the  starboard  bilge-keel  rising  like  a  wall  of  silver  before 
them.  They  passed  along  the  lane  formed  by  this  keel 
and  the  cylindrical  bottom  of  the  ship,  and  then  stepped 
back  with  one  accord  to  take  another  glance  aloft  at  the 
huge  bulk  of  the  ship  as  she  towered  high  above  them. 
They  now  became  conscious  of  the  sounds  of  vigorous 
hammerino'  and  of  men's  voices  in  the  direction  of  the 
river  gable  of  the  building  shed,  and  on  looking  in  that 
direction  they  saw  that  the  contractor,  whom  the  pro- 
fessor had  engaged  for  the  purpose,  was  already  at  work 
with  his  men  removing  the  boarding  which  had  hitherto 
concealed  the  Flying  Fish  from  passers-by  on  the  river, 
thus  making  a  way  for  the  exit  of  the  ship  a  little  later 
on. 

The  little  party  had  re-entered  the  hull  by  wa}^  of  the 
trap-door,  and  the  professor  had  just  made  the  fastenings 
once  more  secure,  when,  far  away  aloft  from  somewhere 
within  the  recesses  of  the  ship,  they  heard  the  loud, 
sonorous,  sustained  note  of  a  gong. 

"Ah,  that  is  good!"  exclaimed  Herr  von  Schalckenberg, 
rubbing  his  hands;  "that  is  the  dinner  gong;  and  I  am 
hungry.  Come,  my  friends,  to  the  dining  saloon,  and  let 
us  partake  of  the  first  of,  I  hope,  many  pleasant  meals  on 
board  the  Flying  Fish," 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  NOVEL  BEGINNING  OF  A  SINGULAR  VOYAGE. 


N  reaching  the  head  of  the  spiral  staircase  the 
professor  paused  for  a  moment  to  direct  the 
attention  of  his  companions  to  a  long  passage 
which  extended  apparently  along  the  middle  of  the  ship 
to  the  fore- end  of  the  superstructure.  The  passage  was 
about  five  feet  wide,  and  the  ceiling  was  of  ground  glass, 
through  which  a  flood  of  light  streamed  brilliantly  down. 

"  In  that  direction,"  said  the  professor,  "are  to  be  found, 
first,  the  kitchen,  pantry,  larder,  and  store-room;  then 
next  to  them  come  my  laboratory  and  workshop,  with 
the  armoury  and  magazine  on  the  opposite  side;  then  the 
quarters  of  the  cook  and  the  valet;  next  these  again  are 
the  bath-rooms  and  lavatories;  and  finally,  at  the  extreme 
end  of  the  passage,  there  are  the  state-rooms  or  sleeping 
apartments,  eight  in  number — four  for  ourselves  and  four 
spare  ones." 

George,  the  valet — whose  duties,  however,  on  board  the 
Flying  Fish  were  to  be  rather  those  of  steward  and 
general  handy  man — stood  during  the  progress  of  this 
brief  explanation  with  his  hand  on  the  handle  of  the 
saloon  door;  and  now,  as  the  professor  turned  and  nodded, 


56  A   HANDSOME   APARTMENT. 

he  flung  the  door  wide  open  and  stood  aside  for  the 
baronet  and  his  friends  to  enter. 

They  now  found  themselves  in  the  dining-saloon,  an 
apartment  thirty  feet  square  and  about  ten  feet  high  to 
the  lower  edge  of  the  cornice.  The  walls,  of  unpainted 
oethereum,  were  broken  up  into  panels  by  fluted  pilasters 
with  richly-moulded  capitals,  each  panel  having  a  frosted 
border  covered  with  delicate  tracery,  whilst  the  central 
portion  of  the  panel  was  left  plain  and  polished,  serving 
the  purpose  of  a  mirror,  in  which  the  room  and  its  multi- 
plied reflections  on  the  opposite  wall  was  again  reflected 
in  a  long  perspective.  The  floor  was  covered  with  a  rich 
Turkey  carpet,  into  which  one  sank  ankle  deep;  the 
chairs,  sofas,  the  massive  sideboard,  the  wide  table,  in 
fact  all  the  furniture  in  the  room,  was  constructed  of 
8ethereum  and  modelled  after  the  choicest  designs,  the 
upholstery  being  in  rich  embossed  velvet  of  a  delicate 
light-blue  shade.  The  table  glittered  with  a  brilliant 
array  of  plate  and  glass;  and  the  entire  apartment  was 
suffused  wath  rich,  soft,  rainbow-tinted  light,  stream- 
ing down  through  the  magnificent  coved  skylight  of 
stained  glass,  which  served  instead  of  ceiling  to  the 
saloon. 

"Superb!" 

"Magnificent!" 

"Exquisite!" 

Such  were  the  exclamations  which  burst  from  the 
professor's  companions  as  they  paused  to  look  about  them 
and  take  in  all  the  details  of  the  splendidly  furnished 
and  decorated  apartment.  A  dozen  eager  questions 
rushed  from  their  lips;  but  Herr  von  Schalckenberg  was 
huni^ry,  and    the  dinner  was  served,  he  therefore  con- 


SIR  REGINALD   IS   AT   LENGTH   CONVINCED.  57 

tented  himself  with  bowing  profoundly  and  pointing  to 
the  dinner-table. 

"  Come,  gentlemen,"  exclaimed  the  baronet  laughingly, 
"take  your  seats,  I  beg.  It  is  evident  that  we  have  quite 
exhausted  both  the  professor's  patience  and  his  strength, 
and  that  we  shall  get  no  more  information  out  of  him 
until  both  have  been  restored  by  a  good  dinner." 

With  which  remark  Sir  Reginald  set  the  example  by 
taking  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  table,  as  he  was  en- 
titled to  do  in  virtue  of  his  ownership  of  the  Flying 
Fish. 

The  dinner  was  an  admirable  one,  in  all  respects  quite 
worthy  the  exceptional  nature  of  the  occasion;  and  under 
its  genial  influence,  and  that  of  the  choice  wines  which 
accompanied  it,  the  conversation  soon  grew  extremely 
animated.  The  topic  was,  of  course,  the  aerial  ship  and 
the  novel  and  interesting  character  of  her  various  equip- 
ments. The  professor  speedily  redeemed  his  afternoon's 
promise  to  the  baronet,  and  at  length  succeeded  in  com- 
pletely convincing  that  hitherto  sceptical  individual  that, 
so  far  from  the  enormous  proportions  of  the  Flying  Fish 
being  detrimental  to  her,  they  constituted  the  principal 
basis  upon  which  he  was  justified  in  his  anticipations  of 
her  success  as  an  aerial  ship. 

Having  at  length  made  this  perfectly  plain,  he  was 
next  called  upon  by  Lieutenant  Mildmay  to  explain  a 
certain  peculiarity  in  the  binnacle  compass,  which  had 
attracted  that  gentleman's  notice  and  excited  his  curio- 
sity. 

"I  observed,"  he  said,  "that  the  compass-card  bore 
round  its  outer  rim,  at  every  quarter  point,  a  small  up- 
right needle.      As   everything  on  board    here,  however 


58  THE   SELF-STEERING   APPARATUS. 

apparently  insignificant,  seems  to  have  its  own  especial 
purpose,  I  should  like  to  know  the  purpose  which  those 
small  needles  are  designed  to  serve." 

"  Ha,  ha,  my  friend !  so  you  noticed  them,  did  you  ?  I 
quite  expected  that,  as  a  seaman,  you  very  soon  would," 
said  the  professor.  "  Well,  I  will  tell  you  what  they  are. 
They  form  part  of  a  little  device  of  mine  to  render  the 
ship  self-steering,  or,  more  correctly,  to  make  the  compass 
itself  steer  her  in  any  given  direction.  Having  noticed 
those  needles,  you  doubtless  also  noticed  that  across  the 
*  lubber's  mark'  there  was  a  small  slit  some  six  inches 
long  in  the  side  of  the  compass-box?" 

The  lieutenant  nodded. 

"Good!"  ejaculated  the  professor.  "Had  you  looked 
outside  the  box  you  would  also  have  observed  two  long 
slender  arms  pivoted  close  together,  their  outer  and  longer 
extremities  being  united,  and  carrying  a  small  needle 
which  travels,  point  downwards,  along  the  arc  of  a  circle. 
Now  the  action  of  the  instrument  is  this.  Supposing 
that  you  wish  the  ship  to  travel  along,  say,  a  southerly 
course,  you  manipulate  the  helm  in  the  usual  manner 
until  the  south  point  of  the  compass-card  swings  round 
to  the  lubber's  mark.  The  moment  that  these  two  accu- 
rately coincide  you  pull  toward  you  a  small  lever  within 
easy  reach  of  your  hand,  and  the  two  arms  glide  in 
through  the  slit  in  the  side  of  the  compass-box,  passing 
one  on  each  side  of  the  needle  on  the  edge  of  the  card,  and 
your  apparatus  is  then  connected  up  ready  for  action. 
Now,  so  long  as  the  ship's  bows  remain  pointed  accurately 
to  the  south,  the  south  point  on  the  compass-card  continues 
coincident  with  the  lubber's  mark,  and  nothing  happens. 
But  should  the  ship  deviate  ever  so  slightly  from  her 


THE   PROFESSORS   DISCLAIMER.  59 

proper  course  the  heavy,  yet  sensitive,  compass  needle  at 
once  swings  round  in  sympathy;  the  small  needle  on  the 
edge  of  the  card  moves  the  two  slender  arms  which  em- 
brace it;  the  downward-pointing  needle  at  the  further 
extremity  of  these  arms  travels  along  the  arc;  and  electric 
communication  is  at  once  established  with  the  steerin^j 
machinery,  which  promptly  acts  in  such  a  way  as  to 
bring  back  the  ship  to  her  original  course." 
h  "Capital!  Admirable!"  ejaculated  Sir  Reginald  and 
the  lieutenant  tooether,  the  former  continuino;: 

"  Upon  my  word,  professor,  you  are  a  veritable  wizard 
— a  magician  with  powers  exceeding  those  of  the  most 
potent  of  your  brethren  referred  to  in  the  *  Arabian 
Nights.'" 

The  professor  made  a  laughing  disclaimer.  "  No,  no, 
my  dear  sir,"  said  he,  "  I  am  no  magician,  but  only  a  poor 
scientist.  Nevertheless,  the  wonders  of  science  far  exceed 
those  of  the  'Arabian  Nights,'  and  will  well  repay  the 
man  who  cares  to  patiently  study  them." 

Enlivened  by  conversation  of  a  character  so  interesting 
to  all  present,  the  sitting  was  prolonged  to  quite  an  inor- 
dinate length,  and  though  no  one,  except  perhaps  the 
professor,  noted  the  fact,  it  was  past  midnight  when  the 
adventurous  quartette  rose  from  the  table,  and  taking 
their  wine  and  cigars  with  them,  moved  into  the  music- 
room,  at  the  same  time  dismissing  the  patient  George  for 
the  nio-ht. 

The  music-room  was  a  much  larger  apartment  than  the 
dining  saloon,  being,  like  the  latter,  the  full  width  of  the 
superstructure,  and  measuring  forty  feet  between  the  fore 
and  the  after  bulkheads.  It  was  the  next  room  abaft  the 
dining  saloon,  and  was  even  more  elaborately  furnished 


60  VON  schalckenberg's  sunset. 

and  decorated  than  the  latter.  The  walls,  divided  up  in 
the  same  manner  as  those  of  the  other  apartment,  were 
adorned  with  choice  pictures,  and  exquisite  statues  of 
frosted  sethereum  were  grouped  on  pedestals  at  frequent 
intervals  all  round  the  room.  A  coved  and  panelled  ceil- 
ing of  decorated  sethereum  sprang  from  the  upper  edge 
of  the  richly  moulded  cornice;  and  a  skylight  of  magni- 
ficent stained  glass,  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the  din- 
ing saloon,  surmounted  the  whole.  A  grand  piano  and  a 
noble  chamber  organ,  both  in  superbly  modelled  asthereum 
cases,  occupied  opposite  sides  of  the  apartment;  a  very 
handsome  clock,  with  a  set  of  silvery  chimes  for  the 
quarters  and  a  deep  rich-toned  gong  for  the  hours,  occu- 
pied a  conspicuous  position  on  a  wall  bracket;  chairs, 
couches,  and  divans  of  seductive  shape  and  ample  capa- 
city were  dotted  here  and  there  about  the  rich  carpet; 
and  a  handsome  table  occupied  the  centre  of  the  room, 
supporting  and  reflecting  in  the  silvery  depths  of  its  un- 
draped  top  a  noble  epergne  of  choice  hot-house  flowers. 

"Why,  how  is  this?"  exclaimed  the  colonel  as  he  sank 
into  the  luxurious  depths  of  a  most  inviting  arm-chair; 
"  my  watch  must  be  all  wrong,  and  your  clock  there  is 
also  wrong,  professor;  they  both  assert  that  it  is  half -past 
twelve  o'clock,  yet  the  sun  has  not  yet  set,"  pointing  aloft 
to  the  skylight,  through  w^hich  a  brilliant  flood  of  sun- 
shine was  streaming  down  into  the  magnificent  apart- 
ment. 

"The  sun  has  not  yet  set?  Then  we  will  soon  make  it 
do  so,"  laughingly  remarked  the  professor,  rising  from  his 
seat  and  approaching  one  of  the  walls  of  the  apartment, 
whilst  the  baronet  and  the  lieutenant  stared  in  dismay  at 
their  own  watch-faces.    The  German  began  to  manipulate 


"THE   HOUR  HAS    ARRIVED !"  61 

a  couple  of  tiny  knobs  which  occupied  unobtrusive  posi- 
tions in  the  base  of  one  of  the  pilasters,  and  the  sunlight 
gradually  deepened  into  a  rich  orange  hue,  then  changed 
to  a  soft  pearly  gray,  which  gradually  deepened  into  a 
dim  delicious  twilight  in  which  little  was  visible  save  the 
pictured  glass  in  the  skylight  above;  then  it  gradually 
brightened  again,  and  presently  a  flood  of  glorious  silvery 
moonlight  streamed  down  through  the  skylight  and  suf- 
fused the  room.  Finally,  with  an  instantaneous  change, 
the  brilliant  sunlight  was  ao-ain  restored. 

o  o 

"Another  wonder!"  exclaimed  Sir  Eeginald.  "How  do 
you  manage  it,  professor?" 

"Oh!  that  is  a  very  simple  matter,"  was  the  reply;  "it 
is  merely  a  cunning  arrangement  of  variously  tinted  glass 
shades  interposed  between  the  electric  light  above  the 
centre  of  the  skylight  and  the  mirrors  which  reflect  the 
light  down  through  the  stained  glass  into  the  room.  As  you 
probably  noticed  when  on  the  deck,  there  are  no  actual 
skylights  in  the  usual  acceptation  of  the  term;  ours  are 
only  make-believes;  but  they  struck  me  as  affording  an 
agreeable  means  of  lighting  the  saloons,  so  I  introduced 
them." 

In  further  conversation,  diversified  by  music,  the  time 
slipped  rapidly  away;  and  at  length  the  clock  on  the 
bracket  proclaimed  that  it  was  two  hours  after  midnight. 

As  the  sonorous  strokes  of  the  gong  announced  the 
fact,  the  professor  rose  to  his  feet,  and  in  a  voice  tremu- 
lous with  sudden  nervous  excitement,  said: 

"  Gentlemen,  the  hour  for  our  departure,  the  hour  which 
is  to  witness  the  success  or  failure  of  our  grand  experi- 
ment, has  SbYTwed.  The  river  and  the  streets  of  the  great 
city  are  by  this  time  nearly  or  quite  deserted;  and  we 


62  A  FAVOURABLE  MOMENT. 

may  therefore  hope  that  our  movements  will  attract  little 
or  no  notice.     Are  you  ready?" 

"Ready!"  ejaculated  the  baronet;  "of  course  we  are, 
my  dear  sir.  Is  not  this  the  moment  to  which  we  have 
all  been  anxiously  looking  forward  for  more  than  two 
years?  Proceed,  professor,  we  v/ill  follow  you;  and  what- 
ever orders  you  may  give  us  shall  be  obeyed  to  the 
letter." 

"Come,  then,"  said  the  professor;  and  he  led  the  w^ay 
through  the  dining  saloon  and  up  the  grand  staircase  to 
the  lower  compartment  of  the  pilot-house,  and  thence  out 
on  deck. 

To  their  eyes,  fresh  from  the  brilliantly  lighted  saloons, 
the  night  appeared  intensely  dark;  but  in  a  minute  or 
two,  becoming  accustomed  to  the  gloom,  they  were  able 
to  perceive  that  the  ladder  had  been  taken  away  from  the 
ship's  side,  and  also  that  the  contractor  had  completed  his 
task  of  removing  the  planking  at  the  river  end  of  the 
shed,  thus  clearing  a  way  for  the  exit  of  the  great  ship. 
They  walked  to  the  after  extremity  of  the  deck,  and  from 
that  point  were  not  only  able,  in  the  breathless  stillness 
then  prevailing,  to  distinctly  hear  the  gurgle  and  rush  of 
the  river,  but  also  to  dimly  make  out  the  shining,  swirling 
surface  of  the  water  as  the  flood-tide  swept  past  them. 

"  The  air  is  absolutely  motionless,"  said  the  professor. 
"  No  more  favourable  moment  could  possibly  have  been 
chosen  for  the  diflacult  task  of  moving  the  Flying  Fish 
out  of  her  present  cramped  quarters,  and  we  will  at  once 
avail  ourselves  of  it.  Lieutenant,  I  will  ask  you  to  return 
here  presently  on  the  '  look-out,'  as  you  sailors  term  it. 
Your  duty  will  be  to  see  that  when  we  move  out  of  the  shed 
we  do  not  come  into  collision  with  anything.     Perhaps 


"A   SIGNAL  SUCCESS."  63 

you,  colonel,  will  kindly  go  to  the  other  end  the  deck, 
also  on  the  'look-out;'  and,  as  for  you.  Sir  Reginald,  I 
must  ask  you  to  stand  on  the  deck  just  outside  the  pilot- 
house, to  see  that  the  electric  lamp  on  the  top  of  it  does 
not  come  into  collision  with  the  roof-timbers,  and  so  drasf 
the  roof  off  the  shed.  But  as  it  is  necessary  that  you 
should  all  become  acquainted  with  the  working  of  the 
ship,  you  had  better  be  with  me  in  the  pilot-house  until 
we  are  actually  ready  to  move." 

''Now,"  continued  the  professor  when  the  quartette 
had  made  their  way  to  the  upper  floor  of  the  pilot-house, 
which  was  moderately  illuminated  by  an  electric  lamp  of 
small  power,  "  the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  place  the 
tiller  of  the  ship  in  a  horizontal  position,  and  thus  bring 
into  action  the  automatic  balancing  gear.  So!  It  is  done. 
The  next  thing  is  to  expel  the  air  from  the  entire  hull  of 
the  ship,  excepting,  of  course,  the  comparatively  insignifi- 
cant portion  reserved  for  habitation,  and  this  I  do  by  in- 
jecting vapour  into  the  several  compartments.  The  vapour 
drives  out  the  air,  and  then,  condensing  like  steam,  creates, 
if  required,  a  perfect  vacuum.  This  large  wheel  controls 
the  valve  which  we  now  want  to  open.  I  turn  it  this 
way,  so — and  now  we  shall  see  what  will  happen." 

Two  large  dials  were  attached  to  the  side  of  the  pilot- 
house, close  together;  and  upon  these  the  professor  now 
intently  fixed  his  gaze.  The  index-hands  of  both  w^ere 
seen  to  be  moving.  A  period  of  perhaps  half  a  minute 
elapsed,  and  then  the  professor,  suddenly  shutting  off'  the 
vapour,  went  over  and  closely  inspected  both  dials. 

"Good!"  he  exclaimed,  after  a  single  keen  glance  at 
each  of  them.  "  Gentlemen,  let  us  congratulate  each 
other.     Our  experiment  is  a  SIGNAL  SUCCESS!" 


64  PREPARING  TO   START. 

"How  do  yoa  know  that,  professor?  How  can  you 
tell  ?  "  eagerly  asked  his  companions. 
'  "Look  at  these  two  dials;  they  will  tell  you,"  replied 
the  professor.  "This  dial,"  tapping  one  with  his  finger, "  in- 
dicates the  weight  of  the  ship,  or  the  pressure  with  which 
she  bears  upon  the  ground.  This  one,"  indicating  the 
other,  "shows  the  pressure  of  air  inside  the  hull  of  the  ship. 
The  first,  as  you  see,  shows  that  the  ship  is  now  pressing 
upon  the  ground  with  a  force  of  less  than  a  single  ton — 
in  other  words,  she  now  weighs  less  than  one  ton.  The 
air-gauge  shows  that  there  is  still  an  air  pressure  of  six 
pounds  per  square  inch  inside  the  hull,  and  we  therefore 
have,  as  I  expected  we  should,  a  large  margin  of  buoy- 
ancy. Now,  lieutenant,  do  me  the  favour  to  turn  on  the 
vapour  once  more,  very  cautiously.  Steady!  Stop!  There, 
Sir  Reginald,  the  index  has  reached  zero,  and  your  ship 
is  now  as  nearly  as  possible  without  weight ;  and  if  a  man 
were  now  underneath  her,  he  might,  notwithstanding  her 
gigantic  proportions,  easily  raise  her  upon  his  shoulders. 
Now  comes  the  delicate  part  of  our  operation.  To 
your  stations  on  the  deck  quickly,  gentlemen,  if  you 
please." 

The  professor's  companions,  just  a  trifle  excited,  perhaps, 
hurried  away  to  their  posts,  and  the  scientist  was  left 
alone.  The  circular  windows  in  the  sides  of  the  pilot- 
house were  all  left  open,  and  in  through  them  presently 
floated  the  voice  of  the  lieutenant  shouting: 

"  All  ready  abaft,  professor." 

"  All  ready  at  this  end,"  replied  the  colonel. 

The  professor  reversed  the  engines,  tuined  on  the 
vapour  very  cautiously  indeed,  and  simultaneously,  with 
the   engines   below  only  just  barely  moving,  the  huge 


"SHE  MOVES;   SHE  MOVES  1"  66 

propeller  began  to  whirl  round  at  a  speed  of  some  sixty 
revolutions  a  minute. 

A  breathless  pause  of  perhaps  two  seconds  followed, 
and  then  the  professor,  his  forehead  damp  with  nervous 
perspiration,  heard: 

"Hurrah!     She's  away!"  from  the  lieutenant. 

"She  moves;  she  moves!"  from  the  colonel.     And 

"By  Jove,  she  is  actually  moving!"  from  the  baronet. 

Slowly  but  surely  the  Flying  Fish  backed  out  of  the 
building-shed,  until  nearly  half  her  immense  length  pro- 
jected beyond  the  walls.  Then  the  voice  of  the  baronet 
was  heard  exclaimino*: 

"Ho!  stop  her!  The  electric  lamp  will  not  clear  the 
roof,  I  am  afraid.  Can  you  give  us  a  little  light  on  the 
subject,  professor?" 

By  way  of  reply  the  professor  pressed  a  knob,  and  the 
lamp  itself  flashed  its  dazzling  light  upon  the  scene,  when 
it  became  apparent  that  the  ship  had  gradually  risen  from 
the  ground,  bringing  the  top  of  her  lamp  just  above  the 
level  of  the  last  tie- rod  of  the  roof. 

"Can  you  drop  her  a  little?  Six  inches  will  do  it," 
said  the  baronet. 

The  professor  opened  the  air- valve  and  the  ship  at  once 
began  to  settle  down. 

"So!  That  will  do;  all  clear.  You  may  go  astern 
again  now  as  fast  as  you  please,"  said  the  baronet. 

Once  more  the  great  propeller  began  to  revolve,  and 
presently  the  baronet,  from  his  position  under  the  fore- 
most end  of  the  pilot-house,  remarked: 

"  Now  she  is  all  clear,  professor;  the  whole  of  the  pilot- 
house is  outside  the  shed.  A  bold  dash  astern  now  and 
we  shall  be  clear  fore  and  aft  in  another  moment." 

(359)  B 


66  AFLOAT   IN   THE   AIR. 

The  professor  extinguished  the  electric  lamp;  gave  the 
wheel  connected  with  the  vapour- valve  another  turn; 
the  engines  increased  their  speed;  and  the  great  ship  at 
once  shot  rapidly  out  over  the  stream  and  clear  of  every- 
thing. Then  the  professor  stopped  the  engines,  turned  a 
thin  stream  of  vapour  into  the  air  chambers,  and  the  huge 
fabric  began  to  slowly  rise  perpendicularly  in  the  air. 
Herr  von  Schalckenberg  waited  until  he  saw  that  they 
were  fairly  above  the  level  of  the  roofs  on  both  sides  of 
the  river;  then  he  left  the  pilot-house  and,  joining  the 
baronet  on  the  deck  outside,  said,  in  a  voice  of  undisguised 
exultation: 

''  Well,  Sir  Reginald,  what  think  you  now  of  the 
Flying  Fishr 

"  I  think  her,  professor,  a  wonderful  creation  of  a  still 
more  wonderful  man.  I  see  that  we  are  steadily  rising 
in  the  air,  as  you  assured  us  would  be  the  case,  but  I 
cannot  yet  fully  realize  the  fact;  I  feel  like  a  man  in  a 
dream;  vou  must  pive  me  time  to  become  familiar  with 
this  new  marvel — this  new  triumph  of  science.  But  there 
can  no  longer  be  any  doubt  as  to  the  success  of  your 
labours;  and  I  accordingly  offer  you  my  most  hearty 
thanks  and  congratulations." 

The  colonel  and  the  lieutenant  also  hastened  to  offer 
theirs,  and  then  the  whole  party  sauntered  to  the  side, 
and,  leaning  upon  the  guard-rail  which  took  the  place  of 
bulwarks,  stood  gazing  upon  the  scene  below.  Not  that 
there  was  very  much  to  see;  the  sky  was  obscured  by  a 
thin  almost  motionless  canopy  of  cloud,  and  the  moon, 
in  her  last  quarter,  had  not  yet  risen;  the  darkness  was 
therefore  profound.  At  the  same  time  it  was  novel  and 
interesting  to  watch  how,  as  the  huge  ship  rose  steadily 


LONDON,    AS   SEEN   FROM  THE  CLOUDS.  67 

higher  in  the  air,  the  long  lines  of  lighted  gas-lamps  in 
street  after  street  became  visible,  until  gradually  the 
whole  of  the  great  city  lay  spread  out  below  them  like  a 
map,  with  the  thoroughfares  indicated  by  faint  twinkling 
lines  of  fire.  And,  as  they  continued  to  rise,  the  various 
disjointed  sounds  which,  even  at  that  early  hour,  pervaded 
the  city,  began  to  reach  their  ears:  the  rumbling  of  a 
wagon  or  the  rattle  of  a  cab  over  the  stone-paved  streets, 
the  barking  of  a  dog,  the  crow  of  some  unnaturally 
wakeful  rooster,  the  clank  of  shunting  trucks  at  one  or 
another  of  the  many  goods  stations  dotted  here  and  there 
all  over  the  metropolis,  the  distant  whistle  and  rattle  of 
a  train  speeding  along  in  the  open  country  beyond;  all 
floated  up  to  them  with  almost  startling  distinctness  at 
first,  then  fainter  and  fainter,  until  at  length  they  died 
completely  away  as  the  Flying  Fish  gradually  attained 
a  higher  altitude.  Then  they  entered  the  bank  of  cloud 
which  overspread  the  city,  and  the  air,  which  had  hitherto 
been  warm,  became  suddenly  chill  and  damp. 

''  Now,  my  friends,"  said  the  professor,  "  there  will  be 
little  or  nothing  more  to  see  until  we  again  descend ;  I 
therefore  propose  that  we  return  to  the  pilot-house,  shut 
ourselves  in,  and  at  once  test  the  soaring  powers  of  the 
ship  by  rising  to  the  highest  attainable  altitude." 

"  Agreed ! "  said  the  baronet.  "  But  why  shut  ourselves 
in? 

"Because,"  answered  the  professor,  "it  will  not  only 
grow  rapidly  colder  as  we  rise,  but,  if  we  remain  outside, 
we  shall  also  find  it  increasingly  difficult  to  breathe  as 
we  reach  the  more  rarefied  air;  whereas,  by  remaining 
inside,  we  shall  be  sheltered  from  the  cold  and  shall  be  able 
to  breathe  the  denser  air  which  we  shall  take  up  with  us." 


68  HIGHER,    AND   YET   HIGHER! 

They  accordingly  entered  the  pilot-house,  shutting  the 
door  after  them,  and  closing  all  the  windows;  then  the 
professor  turned  a  full  jet  of  vapour  into  the  air-chambers 
for  a  moment,  producing  a  perfect  vacuum  therein,  and 
the  ship  at  once  began  to  mount  into  the  ether  with 
greatly  accelerated  speed,  as  they  could  easily  see  by 
watching  the  barometer,  the  bulb  of  which,  completely 
protected,  was  situate  outside  the  walls  of  the  pilot-house. 

It  was  no  very  easy  matter  for  cold  to  penetrate  through 
the  thin  yet  obdurate  walls  of  the  pilot-house;  but  by 
the  time  that  the  barometer  had  fallen  to  fifteen  inches 
the  voyagers  experienced  a  distinct  sensation  of  chilliness, 
whilst  the  windows  of  the  pilot-house  were  thickly  coated 
with  a  delicate  frost  tracery.  Still  the  barometer  con- 
tinued to  fall  steadily,  though  not  so  rapidly  as  at  first, 
indicating  that  the  ship  was  still  soaring  upward;  and 
with  every  inch  fall  of  the  mercury  the  professor  became 
an  increasingly  interesting  study  of  mingled  delight  and 
anxiety.  At  length  the  mercury,  still  falling,  registered 
a  height  of  eleven  inches  only,  and  the  professor  gave 
vent  to  a  great  sigh  of  relief.  And  when  it  further 
dropped  to  ten  inches  he  could  no  longer  contain  himself. 

"Gentlemen,"  he  exclaimed,  "rejoice  with  me.  The 
conquest  of  the  mountains  is  ours.  We  are  now  as  nearly 
as  possible  on  a  level  with  the  topmost  peak  of  Everest, 
the  most  lofty  projection  on  the  earth's  surface;  and  in 
due  time  I  hope  we  shall  have  the  unique  felicity  of 
planting  our  feet  on  that  as  yet  untrodden  spot,  and  of 
leaving  a  record  to  that  efiect  behind  us." 

At  length  the  mercury  fell  to  a  little  below  eight  inches, 
and  there  it  stopped;  the  limit  of  the  Flying  Fish's 
buoyancy  was  reached. 


A  CROWNING  FEAT.  69 

The  professor  stood  intently  regarding  the  barometer 
tube  for  some  time;  then  he  turned  and  said  to  his  com- 
panions : 

"  Gentlemen,  behold  the  indisputably  lowest  reading  of 
the  barometer  which  man  has  ever  witnessed,  and  which 
indicates  that  we  are  at  this  moment  farther  from  our 
mother  earth  than  mortal  has  ever  journeyed  before. 
Humboldt  and  Bonpland  ascended  Chimborazo  to  a  height 
of  eighteen  thousand  five  hundred  and  seventy-six  feet. 
Gay-Lussac  rose  in  his  balloon  to  the  much  higher 
elevation  of  twenty-three  thousand  feet,  only  to  be 
eclipsed  by  your  own  countryman,  Green,  who  soared  to 
the  astounding  height  of  twenty-seven  thousand  six 
hundred  feet.  But  it  was  left  for  us,  my  friends,  to 
achieve  the  crowning  feat  of  aeronautical  science,  by 
attaining  to  the  extraordinary  altitude  of  thirty-four 
thousand  six  hundred  feet,  or  more  than  six  and  a  half 
miles  of  perpendicular  elevation  above  the  sea-level.  Now, 
Sir  Reginald,  what  think  you  of  your  latest  acquisition, 
the  Flying  Fishr 

"I  think  her  by  far  the  most  wonderful  creation  of 
which  I  have  ever  heard  or  read,  and"  (with  a  bow  to 
the  professor)  "  every  way  worthy  of  the  truly  remark- 
able man  to  whom  she  owes  her  existence.  If  her  power 
to  penetrate  the  hitherto  unexplored  depths  of  the  ocean 
is  at  all  commensurate  with  her  ability  to  reach  the 
higher  regions  of  the  air,  I  foresee  that  our  voyage  is 
likelv  to  be  fruitful  in  startling:  incident  and  in  the  dis- 
CO  very  of  many  hitherto  unsuspected  secrets  of  nature. 
Now,  what  do  you  propose  that  we  shall  next  do,  pro- 
fessor?" 

*'I  propose,"   said  von   Schalckenberg,    "that,   having 


70  A   DEEP   SPOT. 

tested  the  Flying  Fish's  capabilities  of  merely  rising  into 
the  air,  we  should  now  ascertain  what  she  can  do  in  the 
way  of  navigating  the  atmosphere;  after  which  we  will 
try  her  powers  as  a  submarine  ship.  The  lowest  depres- 
sion in  the  English  Channel  is  to  be  found  in  a  sub- 
marine valley  called  the  "Hurd  Deep;"  it  is  situate  about 
six  miles  north  of  the  "Casquets,"  and  lies  ninety- four 
fathoms  (or  five  hundred  and  sixty-four  feet)  below  the 
surface  of  the  water.  I  propose  (subject  to  your  approval) 
to  make  for  this  spot  and  there  sink  to  the  bottom, 
taking  advantage  of  our  presence  there  to  make  a  first  trial 
of  our  diving  armour.  Does  this  meet  with  your  ap- 
proval?" 

The  baronet  and  his  companions  thought  it  a  very 
capital  idea,  and  the  professor  took  immediate  steps  for 
carrying  it  out.  Opening  a  case  he  produced  therefrom 
a  chart  of  the  English  Channel,  and,  directing  his  com- 
panions' attention  to  the  spot  w^hich  he  proposed  to  visit, 
requested  Lieutenant  Mildmay  to  lay  off  the  course  and 
measure  the  distance  in  a  straight  line.  The  latter  was 
found  to  be  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 

"Which  distance,"  remarked  the  professor,  "I  expect 
we  shall  accomplish,  in  the  present  calm  state  of  the 
atmosphere,  in  about  an  hour  and  a  quarter.  This  high 
rate  of  speed  will  necessitate  our  remaining  in  the  pilot- 
house; but  it  will,  perhaps,  be  worth  while  to  put  up 
with  that  temporary  inconvenience  on  the  present  occa- 
sion, since  we  have  so  exceptionally  favourable  an  oppor- 
tunity of  testing  the  actual  speed  of  the  ship  through  the 
air.  If,  however,  you  prefer  to  be  on  deck  in  the  open 
air,  we  can  of  course  moderate  our  speed  sufficiently  to 
render  such  a  mode  of  travelling  pleasant." 


THE   VOYAGE   COMMENCES.  71 

It  was  unanimously  decided,  however,  to  remain  inside 
and  give  the  speed  of  the  ship  a  fair  trial.  The  professor 
accordingly  turned  the  vapour  into  the  engines,  slowly  at 
first,  but  in  gradually  increasing  volume,  until  they  were 
revolving  at  full  speed,  and  the  ship's  head  was  pointed 
in  the  proper  direction,  the  automatic  steering  gear  being 
at  the  same  time  thrown  into  action  to  test  its  capabili- 
ties. This  done  the  professor  opened  the  main  air- valve, 
gradually  admitting  a  certain  quantity  of  air  into  the 
ship's  interior,  and  she  at  once  began  to  drop  once  more 
earthward. 

"  We  will  descend  to  within  about  a  thousand  feet  of 
the  sea  level,"  said  the  professor.  "  This  will  restore  us  to  a 
more  genial  temperature,  will  give  the  propeller  a  denser 
atmosphere  in  which  to  work,  and  will  also  enable  us  to 
see  somew^hat  of  the  country  over  which  we  are  flying; 
whilst  our  elevation  will  be  ample  to  take  us  clear  of 
everything.  Leith  Hill,  nine  hundred  and  sixty- seven 
feet  in  height,  is  the  greatest  elevation  at  all  near  our 
path;  but  we  shall  pass  some  three  miles  or  so  to  the 
westward  of  it,  if  the  air  remains  calm;  and  St.  Cather- 
ine's Point,  over  which  we  shall  pass,  is  only  seven  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  feet  high.  So  that  we  have  nothing 
to  fear." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  Flying  Fish  had  dropped  to 
within  the  proposed  distance  of  the  earth;  and,  on  clear- 
ing the  windows  of  the  accumulated  frost,  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  moon  (then  in  her  third  quarter)  had 
risen  and  was  sufiusing  the  earth  with  her  feeble  ghostly 
light,  which,  slight  as  it  was,  enabled  the  voyagers  to 
perceive  that  they  were  skimming  through  the  air  at  a 
tremendous  speed.    The  engines,  though  working  at  their 


72    .  A   FLIGHT  THROUGH   THE   AIR. 

full  power,  were  perfectly  noiseless;  and  the  propeller, 
though  revolving  at  a  rate  of  fully  one  thousand  revolu- 
tions per  minute,  caused  not  the  slightest  perceptible 
vibration  in  the  hull  of  the  ship.  A  loud  humming 
sound,  however,  proceeded  from  it,  audible  even  above 
the  rush  of  the  air  against  the  sides  of  the  pilot-house. 

Leith  Hill  was  soon  passed,  the  waters  of  the  Channel 
— distinguished  in  the  faint  light  only  by  a  thin  tremu- 
lous line  of  frlimmerino'  silver  under  the  crescent  moon — 
were  sighted,  and,  almost  before  they  had  time  to  realize 
the  fact,  they  had  skimmed  over  the  anchorage  at  Spit- 
head,  across  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  were  floating  above 
the  waters  of  the  Channel.  By  this  time  the  eastern  sky 
had  begun  to  pale  perceptibly  before  the  coming  dawn; 
the  lights  of  St.  Catherine  behind  them  and  the  Casquets 
ahead  gleamed  with  steadily  diminishing  power  in  the 
gathering  daylight;  the  half-dozen  or  so  of  ships  and 
steamers  in  sight,  one  after  the  other  extinguished  their 
signal  lamps;  and,  just  as  they  reached  their  destination 
and  settled  lightly  as  a  snow-flake  upon  the  glassy  sur- 
face of  the  water,  up  rose  the  glorious  sun,  flashing  his 
brilliant  beams  over  land  and  sea,  and  awakening  all  na- 
ture into  light  and  life  once  more. 

As  the  Flying  Fish  alighted  on  the  surface  of  the 
water,  the  professor  pulled  out  his  watch  and  remarked, 
with  evident  satisfaction: 

"  One  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  just  one  hour  and  a 
quarter!  That  is  good  travelling,  and  proves  the  speed 
of  our  ship  to  be  exactly  what  I  estimated  it  would  be. 
We  will  now  set  the  force-pump  to  work;  and  I  hope, 
that  by  the  time  we  are  ready  to  descend,  that  brilliant 
sun  will  have  enshrouded  our  movements  in  a  concealing 


A  BATH,  AND  THEN  BREAKFAST.  73 

mist.  We  are  surrounded  by  fishing-boats,  as  you  see, 
and  I  have  no  doubt  that  we  have  also  been  observed  by 
the  light-keepers  on  the  Casquets.  It  will  never  do  to 
disappear  before  so  many  curious  eyes;  they  would  be 
filled  with  horror  at  the  supposed  catastrophe.  In  the 
meantime  we  may  as  well  go  out  on  deck  to  enjoy  the 
fresh  morning  air.  As  for  me,  I  propose  to  indulge  in  the 
luxury  of  a  swim." 

The  main  engines  had,  in  the  meantime,  been  stopped, 
and  the  force-pump  put  slowly  in  motion,  so  that  the 
submersion  of  the  hull  might  be  sufficiently  gradual  to 
escape  notice. 

Five  minutes  later  the  professor  and  his  three  com- 
panions were  gamboling  round  the  ship  like  so  many 
porpoises — or  dolphins,  if  they  would  prefer  the  latter 
metaphor — enjoying  to  the  full  the  invigorating  luxury 
of  their  bath  in  the  cool,  pure  sea- water. 

By  the  time  that  they  were  on  board  again  and  dressed, 
the  intellio;ent  Georo^e  had  arranored  for  them  on  deck  a 
nice  little  light  breakfast  of  chocolate,  biscuits,  and  fruit, 
for  which  their  swim  had  given  them  an  unbounded 
relish.  The  meal  was  partaken  of  at  leisure,  and  fol- 
lowed by  a  cigar,  over  which  they  dawdled  so  long  that 
the  Flying  Fish  was  submerged  to  the  deck  before  the 
last  stump  had  been  reluctantly  thrown  away.  The  mist 
which  the  professor  had  prognosticated  having,  mean- 
while, gathered  sufficiently  to  cloak  their  movements,  a 
cast  of  the  lead  was  taken  and  the  ship  was  found  to  be 
in  ninety  fathoms  of  water.  The  professor,  for  reasons 
of  his  own,  deemed  this  sufficiently  near  the  deepest 
point  to  justify  an  immediate  descent.  They  accordingly 
entered    the    pilot-house    forthwith,   closing    the   door 


74  AT   THE   BOTTOM   OF  THE   SEA. 

securely  after  them — the  air-pump  was  stopped,  the  sea- 
cock communicating  with  the  water  -  chambers  was 
opened,  and  the  Flying  Fish,  w^ith  an  easy  imperceptible 
motion,  sank  gently  beneath  the  placid  waters,  to  rest,  a 
minute  or  two  later,  on  a  bed  of  gravel  at  the  bottom  of 
the  Channel. 

"Now,"  said  the  professor,  looking  at  his  watch  when 
the  ship  had  fairly  settled  into  her  strange  berth,  and 
had  been  securely  anchored  there,  "it  is  just  eight  o'clock. 
We  are  all  somewhat  fatigued,  and  our  bath  and  break- 
fast have  prepared  us  nicely  to  enjoy  a  few  hours'  repose. 
I  therefore  propose,  gentlemen,  that  we  retire  to  our  sleep- 
ing apartments  until  two  o'clock  p.m.  George  shall  call 
us  at  that  hour  and  have  a  bit  of  luncheon  ready  for  us, 
after  which  we  shall  have  ample  time  to  test  our  diving 
apparatus  before  dinner." 

This  proposal  met  with  a  very  cordial  reception,  and 
was  duly  carried  out,  with  the  result  that,  half  an  hour 
later,  the  four  adventurous  voyagers  were  sleeping  as 
calmly  in  their  novel  resting-place  as  though  they  had 
been  accustomed  from  their  earliest  infancy  to  take  their 
repose  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 


•bfe^"' 


CHAPTER  V. 


A   SUBMARINE   EXCURSION. 


T  the  appointed  hour  the  imperturbable  George, 
who  never  could  be  betrayed  into  the  slightest 
exhibition  of  astonishment  at  finding  himself  in 
any  extraordinary  situation  which  he  might  happen  to 
be  sharing  with  his  somew^hat  eccentric  master,  duly 
aroused  the  four  sleepers,  and  when  they  were  ready,  laid 
luncheon  before  them  with  the  same  indomitable  sang- 
froid which  he  would  have  exhibited  had  the  transaction 
been  conducted  on  terra  firma. 

The  meal  over,  the  professor  led  the  way  below  to  the 
diving  chamber,  where  the  adventurous  four  carefully 
donned  their  diving  dresses,  inclusive  of  the  armour  which 
Sir  Reginald  felt  so  strongly  disposed  to  ridicule.  As  this 
was  the  first  occasion  of  inducting  themselves  into  their 
novel  costume,  they  were  rather  a  long  time  about  it;  but 
when  once  they  were  fairly  encased,  they  were  fain  to 
admit  that,  strange  as  might  be  their  appearance,  they 
felt  exceedingly  comfortable.  The  professor  was  the  last 
to  assume  the  dress,  having  busied  himself  in  the  first 
instance  in  assisting  the  others;  but  at  length  all  was 
ready,  and  they  filed   into  the  exit  chamber,  carefully 


76  PREPARATIONS  FOR  A  WALK. 

closing  the  door  behind  them.  This  chamber  was  illu- 
minated by  an  electric  lamp,  the  light  of  which  clearly 
revealed  the  whereabouts  of  the  sea-cock,  and  of  the 
fastenings  to  the  trap-door,  all  of  which  the  professor 
pointed  out  to  his  companions,  at  the  same  time  explaining 
the  method  of  working  them.  The  sea-cock  was  then 
opened,  and  the  chamber  began  to  slowly  fill  with  water. 

"  Now,"  explained  the  professor,  ''  please  listen  to  me. 
If  now,  or  at  any  future  time,  either  of  you  should  ex- 
perience the  slightest  sensation  of  discomfort  as  the  water 
rises  round  you,  all  you  have  to  do  is  simply  to  open  this 
air-cock,  which  communicates  with  the  air-chambers,  and 
the  condensed  air  will  at  once  rush  in  and  expel  the  water 
again;  then  close  the  sea  and  air  cocks;  open  this  relief 
valve,  which  will  allow  the  condensed  air  to  disperse  it- 
self in  the  habitable  portions  of  the  hull,  and  you  can  at 
once  open  the  door  of  communication  to  the  diving  cham- 
ber, and  disencumber  yourself  of  your  dress,  remembering 
always  to  close  the  door  behind  you.  Now,  do  either  of 
you  feel  at  all  uncomfortable?" 

The  exit  chamber  was  by  this  time  full  of  water,  and 
its  occupants  were,  therefore,  completely  submerged,  and 
subject  to  the  same  pressure  of  water  as  they  would  be 
outside,  but  the  armour  proved  fully  equal  to  its  work  in 
every  respect,  and  its  wearers  were  able  to  move  with 
just  as  much  freedom  and  ease  as  if  they  had  been  on  dry 
land.  They  accordingly  replied  to  the  professor's  inquiry 
with  a  brisk  neofative. 

"  And  can  you  hear  distinctly  what  I  say  ? "  continued 
the  professor. 

They  replied  that  they  could  hear  every  word  perfectly, 
only  realizing  when  the  question  was  asked  that  they 


TREADING   ON   STRANGE   GROUND.  77 

were  completely  sheathed  in  metal  from  head  to  foot,  and 
that,  consequently,  the  fact  of  their  being  able  to  hear  at 
all  was  somewhat  singular. 

"  That  is  all  right,"  exclaimed  the  professor.  "  I 
thought  it  would  be  convenient  if  we  could  communicate 
freely  with  each  other  under  water,  so  I  introduced  a 
couple  of  small  microphones  into  each  helmet,  hoping 
they  would  answer  the  purpose.  Mine  are  simply  perfect, 
but  I  was  anxious  to  know  if  yours  were  also.  Now,  if 
you  are  quite  ready  I  will  open  the  door." 

The  next  moment  the  trap-door  fell  open,  and  a  great 
black  aperture  yawned  before  them. 

"  Light  both  your  lamps,"  exclaimed  the  professor,  "  and 
pick  your  footsteps.  Remember,  you  are  about  to  tread 
on  strange  ground." 

The  professor  led  the  way,  his  armour-clad  figure  loom- 
ing up  black  and  gigantic  against  the  two  overlapping 
discs  of  illuminated  water  before  him,  and  the  other  three 
followed  closely  in  his  footsteps.  On  emerging  from  the 
trap-door  they  turned  sharp  to  the  left,  and  made  their 
way  toward  the  bow  along  the  tunnel-like  passage  be- 
tween the  ship's  bottom  and  the  starboard  bilge  keel. 
This  was  soon  traversed,  and  they  then  found  themselves 
on  a  tolerably  firm,  level,  gravelly  bottom.  Emerging 
from  underneath  the  ship's  bottom,  they  now  extinguished 
their  lamps  for  a  moment  by  way  of  experiment,  and 
found  that  so  clear  was  the  water  that  even  at  the  great 
depth  of  ninety  fathoms  it  was  not  absolutely  dark,  a 
sombre  greenish  blue  twilight  prevailing  in  which  the 
hull  of  the  ship  towered  above  them  vast  and  shadowy, 
yet  with  tolerable  distinctness.  This  twilight,  however, 
was  strongly  illuminated  at  both  ends  of  the  ship  by  the 


78  AT  THE  BOTTOM   OF  THE   SEA. 

powerful  electric  lamps  at  the  bow  and  stern,  all  of  which 
the  professor  had  taken  the  precaution  to  light  before 
descending  to  the  diving  chamber. 

"  Those  are  our  beacons,"  said  the  professor,  pointing 
to  these  lamps,  "  and  we  must  be  exceedingly  careful  not 
to  stray  beyond  the  reach  of  their  rays,  otherwise  we 
might  experience  great  difficulty  in  finding  our  way  back 
to  the  ship.  Are  you  all  pretty  comfortable  in  this  great 
depth  of  water  ?  We  are  now  iive  hundred  and  forty  feet 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  sea,  or  three  hundred  and 
thirty-six  feet  deeper  than  man  has  ever  reached  before. 
Why,  if  we  were  to  accomplish  nothing  more  than  this, 
we  have  already  achieved  a  great  triumph!  Now,  let  us 
make  our  way  toward  the  deepest  spot  in  this  submarine 
valley;  I  have  an  idea  that  we  shall  see  something  curious 
when  we  reach  it.  This  way,  gentlemen;  our  course  is 
about  due  west,  and  we  cannot  well  lose  our  way  if  we 
descend  the  slope  which  seems  to  commence  yonder." 

The  little  party  pressed  forward,  experiencing  no  incon- 
venience or  difiSculty  whatever,  save  that  of  making  their 
way  through  water  of  such  a  density  as  that  which  en- 
veloped them,  and  soon  reached  the  edge  of  a  rather  steep 
declivity,  evidently  leading  down  to  the  lowest  part  of 
the  depression.  Before  venturing  down  this  declivity 
they  paused  to  glance  backward,  and  saw  that,  though 
the  ship  herself  had  become  invisible  in  the  sombre  twi- 
light, all  the  electric  lights  were  distinctly  visible,  the 
very  powerful  one  on  the  top  of  the  pilot-house  especially 
gleaming  like  the  illuminated  lantern  of  a  lighthouse. 
So  far,  therefore,  all  was  well;  they  were  still  within 
range  of  the  lights,  and  they  at  once  turned  and  plunged 
fearlessly  into  the  depression.     They  had  not  far  to  go, 


WHAT  THEY   SAW   THERE.  79 

the  sides  of  the  depression  being  steep,  and  in  about  two 
minutes  they  found  themselves  at  the  bottom,  and  stand- 
ing before  an  immense  confused  heap  of  wreckage  of  al- 
most every  imaginable  description.  Shattered  stumps  of 
spars,  waterlogged  and  weighed  down  with  a  thick  in- 
crustation of  barnacles,  the  accumulated  growth  of  years 
of  immersion;  part  of  the  hull  of  a  ship,  so  overgrown 
with  "sea  grass"  as  to  be  distinguishable  as  such  only 
from  the  fact  that  the  channels  and  channel  irons  with 
their  dead-eyes,  and  even  the  frayed  ends  of  the  shroud 
lanyards  still  remained  attached;  a  twisted  and  tangled-up 
mass  of  iron  rods  which  looked  as  though  it  might  at  some 
distant  period  have  been  the  paddle-wheel  of  a  steamer, 
and  near  it  the  evident  remains  of  a  boiler  and  some 
machinery;  the  beam  of  a  trawl-net,  and  bales,  boxes, 
packing-cases,  barrels,  and,  in  short,  every  conceivable 
description  of  covering  in  which  ships'  cargoes  are  usually 
stowed  were  mixed  up  in  inextricable  confusion  with 
heaps  of  coal,  large  stones,  and  other  anomalous  sub- 
stances. 

"  Just  as  I  anticipated,"  exclaimed  the  professor,  point- 
ing to  the  heap  and  addressing  his  companions.  "And 
this,  I  expect,  is  the  sort  of  thing  which  we  shall  see  in 
every  depression  of  the  ocean's  bed  which  we  may  visit. 
All  these  matters  have  been  swept  hither  and  thither  over 
the  ground  by  the  action  of  the  tidal  and  other  currents, 
until  they  have  happened  to  drift  over  this  spot,  and  here 
they  have  finally  settled  owing  to  the  inability  of  the 
currents  to  move  them  up  the  steep  sides  of  the  depression. 
Let  us  walk  round  the  heap;  we  may  see  something  of 
interest  before  we  have  completed  the  circuit." 

And  so  they  did,  though  the  interest  was  hardly  the 


80  A   STARTLING   SIGHT. 

kind  of  which  the  professor  had  been  thinking  when  he 
spoke.  For,  whilst  standing  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
heap,  contemplating  the  remains  of  an  ancient  and  grass- 
grown  wreck,  they  were  startled  by  the  appearance  of  a 
sharp  snake-like  head  with  a  pair  of  fierce  gleaming  eyes 
which  was  suddenly  protruded  from  a  gap  in  the  ship's 
side,  and  in  another  moment  the  creature — a  conger-eel 
of  truly  gigantic  proportions — emerged  from  its  hiding- 
place,  and,  possibly  attracted  by  the  brilliancy  of  the 
electric  lights  which  the  party  carried,  swam  boldly  to- 
ward them. 

"What  a  horrible  monster!"  ejaculated  the  colonel,  at 
the  same  moment  that  Lieutenant  Mildmay,  struck  with 
the  savage  look  of  the  creature,  exclaimed: 

"Why,  I  believe  the  brute  means  to  attack  us!" 

"And,  by  Jove,  here  come  some  more  of  them!"  ex- 
claimed the  baronet,  pointing  to  the  hole  from  which  the 
creature  had  emerged. 

"Draw  your  daggers,  gentlemen!"  shouted  the  pro- 
fessor. "  And  be  not  dismayed;  they  and  our  armour  are 
quite  sufficient  for  our  protection." 

It  was  perhaps  just  as  well  that  the  professor  had 
sufficient  presence  of  mind  at  that  moment  to  say  what 
he  did;  for  his  companions,  though  their  courage  had  been 
proved  a  thousand  times  before,  were  now  in  a  new  and 
strange  element  to  which  they  had  scarcely  had  time  to 
accustom  themselves;  and,  moreover,  the  aspect  of  the 
fierce  fish  as  they  rushed  forward  with  open  jaws,  dis- 
closing their  formidable  teeth,  was  sufficiently  weird  and 
uncanny  to  at  least  momentarily  dismay  the  stoutest 
heart. 

Lieutenant  Mildmay 's  anticipation  as  to  the  intentions 


ATTACKED   BY   CONGER-EELS  1  81 

of  the  fish  proved  quite  correct.  On  they  came,  some 
thirty  or  forty  in  number;  and  before  the  attacked  could 
quite  recover  from  their  confusion  they  found  themselves 
fairly  in  the  clutches  of  the  snake-like  creatures.  The 
attack  was  made  w^ith  the  utmost  determination  and 
ferocity,  the  eels  twining  themselves  so  powerfully  about 
the  bodies  of  their  foes  that  it  was  almost  impossible  for 
the  latter  to  move  hand  or  foot;  whilst  the  sharp  teeth 
rasped  strongly  but  ineffectually  against  the  scales  of  the 
sethereum  armour.  The  fight,  however,  though  fiercely 
waged  on  the  part  of  the  assailants,  was  soon  over,  a 
single  stroke  of  the  keen  double-edged  dagger — as  soon 
as  the  assailed  could  get  their  hands  free — proving  suffi- 
cient to  instantly  destroy  the  individual  fish  upon  which 
it  happened  to  fall.  But  so  fierce  were  the  eels  that  the 
conflict  ended  only  with  the  slaughter  of  the  last  of  them. 
The  fish  were  of  truly  enormous  size,  two  or  three  speci- 
mens measuring,  as  nearly  as  could  be  estimated,  fully 
eighteen  feet  in  length,  whilst  none  were  less  than  ten 
feet  long.  The  tour  of  exploration  was  then  completed 
without  further  adventure;  the  powerful  electric  lights 
of  the  ship  enabled  them  to  find  her  without  difficulty 
the  moment  that  they  climbed  up  out  of  the  depression; 
and  they  made  good  their  return  with  no  worse  result 
than  that  of  excessive  fatigue  due  to  their  unwonted 
efforts  in  forcing  their  way  through  so  dense  a  medium 
as  water  of  ninety  fathoms  depth. 

So  novel  an  experience  as  theirs  had  that  day  been 
naturally  furnished  the  chief  topic  of  conversation  at  the 
dinner- table ;  the  professor  especially  entertaining  his 
companions  with  many  interesting  anecdotes  of  strange 

adventures  which  had  happened  to,  and  curious  sights 
(359)  y 


82  SUBMARINE   NAVIGATION. 

witnessed  by  divers  at  various  times  and  places.  At 
length,  during  a  lull  in  the  conversation,  he  said: 

"  There  still  remain  two  trials  to  which  the  Flying  Fish 
must  be  subjected  before  we  can  say  that  we  are  fully 
acquainted  with  her  powers,  namely,  a  trial  of  her  speed 
through  the  water  when  fully  submerged;  and  a  trial  of 
her  behaviour  as  an  ordinary  ocean-going  ship.  And 
these  trials,  I  think,  should — if  you  approve,  Sir  Reginald 
■ — be  carried  out  before  we  do  anything  else." 

The  baronet  gave  his  willing  assent  to  the  professor's 
proposal;  and  it  was  finally  arranged  that  the  trials,  or, 
at  all  events,  one  of  them,  should  take  place  on  the 
morrow. 

It  having  been  arranged  that  early  rising  should  be 
the  order  of  the  day  throughout  the  voyage,  they  were 
aroused  at  seven  o'clock  on  the  following  morning,  and 
sat  down  to  breakfast  at  eight  prompt.  By  nine  o'clock 
the  meal  was  over,  and  the  party,  pipe  or  cigar  in  mouth, 
mustered  in  the  pilot-house.  Here  the  first  thing  the 
professor  did  was  to  produce  a  chart,  to  which,  on  spread- 
ing it  open  on  the  table,  he  called  Lieutenant  Mildmay's 
attention,  saying: 

"  Being  a  seaman  by  profession,  you  are  undoubtedly 
the  most  skilful  navigator  of  the  party;  and  I  therefore 
propose — with  Sir  Reginald's  full  approval,  which  I  have 
already  obtained — to  confide  the  navigation  of  the  Flying 
Fish  to  you.  Now  this" — making  a  pencil  mark  on  the 
chart — " is  our  present  position;  and  this" — pointing  to 
another  pencil  mark  off  Cape  Finisterre,  which  presented 
the  appearance  of  having  been  very  carefully  laid  down 
— "  is  the  point  to  which  I  wish  you  to  navigate  us  in  the 
first  instance." 


THE   professor's   ARRANGEMENTS.  83 

"  Very  good,"  said  Mildmay.  "  I  undertake  the  charge 
with  pleasure.  Only  I  must  stipulate,  that  when  making 
long  passages  you  will  rise  to  the  surface  occasionally,  in 
order  that  I  may  be  enabled  to  take  the  observations 
necessary  to  verify  our  position." 

"Of  course,  of  course,"  answered  the  professor.  "Now, 
are  we  all  ready  to  start?" 

An  answer  in  the  affirmative  was  given;  and  von 
Schalckenberg  thereupon  moved  the  lever  which  actuated 
the  simple  machinery  controlling  the  four  anchors  in  the 
bilge  keels.  The  ship  being  thus  released  from  the 
ground,  he  next  opened  the  cocks  connecting  the  air  and 
water  chambers ;  a  stream  of  compressed  air  at  once  rushed 
into  the  latter,  forcing  out  a  certain  quantity  of  water, 
and  the  ship  began  to  rise. 

"We  will  so  adjust  our  position  that  the  top  of  the 
lantern  surmounting  the  pilot-house  shall  be  submerged 
to  a  depth  of  six  fathoms;  at  which  depth  we  shall  not 
only  be  enabled  to  pass  clear  of  all  ships,  but  shall  also, 
if  the  water  be  clear,  be  enabled  to  see  pretty  well  what 
is  before  and  above  us,"  said  the  professor,  fixing  his  eyes 
upon  a  gauge  before  him.  "  There,"  he  continued,  closing 
the  air-cocks  as  the  index  pointed  to  six  fathoms,  "  now 
we  shall  do  very  well.  Are  you  ready  to  set  the  course, 
Mildmay?" 

"  A  run  of  six  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  upon  a  west- 
south-west  course,  will  take  us  to  about  the  spot  you 
have  indicated,"  answered  Mildmay. 

Which  is  a  trifle  less  than  five  and  a  half  hours*  run, 
if  our  speed  under*  water  is  equal  to  what  it  was  through 
the  air.  But  I  anticipate  that  we  shall  do  better  than 
that;  the  resistance  of  water  is  considerably  greater  than 


84  FULL   SPEED   AHEAD! 

that  of  air  to  the  vessel's  passage  through  it,  I  admit; 
but  I  anticipate  that  this  will  be  more  than  counter- 
balanced by  the  greater  power  of  the  propeller  in  the 
denser  fluid.     We  shall  soon  see." 

''So  saying,  the  professor  set  the  engines  in  motion, 
and  the  Flying  Fish  began  to  glide  smoothly  yet  soon 
with  marvellous  rapidity  through  the  water. 

"  My  surmise  was  correct,  you  see,"  said  the  professor 
some  ten  minutes  afterwards,  as  he  pointed  to  another 
gauge  on  the  wall  of  the  pilot-house.  "  We  are  now 
running  steadily  at  a  speed  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  per  hour;  and  we  have  already  travelled  twelve 
miles  from  our  starting-point.  The  gauge  is,  as  you  see, 
self-registering,  and  shows  on  that  piece  of  paper  the 
exact  distance  run  through  or  along  the  surface  of  the 
water  (but  not  through  the  air)  between  any  two  given 
points.  When  the  ship's  course  is  altered,  or  you  desire 
for  any  other  reason  to  commence  the  register  afresh,  all 
you  have  to  do  is,  press  that  ivory  knob,  and  the  instru- 
ment will  draw  a  line  across  the  paper  and,  at  the  same 
moment,  spring  back  to  zero." 

The  water,  at  the  depth  at  which  they  were  travelling, 
proved  to  be  almost  as  transparent  as  crystal,  of  a  dark 
olive-green  tint  beneath  them,  merging  by  imperceptible 
gradations  to  a  faint  greenish-blue  above;  the  surface 
being  discernible  by  the  shifting  lace  work  of  gold  inces- 
santly playing  over  it  where  the  sun's  beams  caught  the 
ridges  of  the  faint  rippling  wavelets  raised  by  the  lan- 
guid summer  breeze.  Even  small  objects,  such  as  medusae, 
and  frao^ments  of  weed  floatino^  in  mid-sea,  were  distin- 
guishable  at  a  considerable  distance;  and  fishing- boats 
could  be  clearly  made  out  at  the  distance  of  a  mile.     A 


THE  PROFESSOR  FEELS  MISCHIEVOUS.  85 

very  novel  and  curious  effect  was  witnessed  when  objects 
floating  on  the  surface  (such  as  ships,  fishing-boats,  or 
aquatic  birds)  came  into  view,  the  submerged  portions 
of  them  being  as  clearly  defined  as  though  they  were 
floating  in  air,  whilst  the  parts  above  the  surface  were 
wavering  and  indistinct.  A  flock  of  diving  gulls,  for 
instance,  which  they  passed  at  no  great  distance,  pre- 
sented the  curious  spectacle  of  little  more  than  dark  dots 
furnished  with  pairs  of  quickly-moving  webbed  feet 
whilst  they  floated  on  the  placid  surface;  but  directly  a 
bird  dived  its  whole  body  became  distinctly  visible,  with 
a  lono^  stream  of  air-bubbles  trailino-  behind  it. 

At  length  it  became  apparent  that  they  were  approach- 
ing a  large  fleet  of  ships  making  their  way  up  channel. 

A  smile  passed  over  the  professor's  features  as  he  gazed 
out  at  them,  and  turning  to  his  companions  he  re- 
marked: 

"  I  feel  mischievously  inclined  this  morning.  I  think 
we  will  give  the  crews  of  those  ships  a  little  surprise,  and 
furnish  them  with  a  new  topic  for  conversation." 

"  Ah,  indeed!"  said  the  baronet.  "  How  do  you  propose 
to  do  it?" 

"  By  rising  to  the  surface  in  the  midst  of  the  fleet. 
Our  engine  power  is  quite  sufficient,  I  believe,  to  send  us 
to  the  surface  or  to  plunge  us  several  fathoms  deeper  than 
we  now  are  without  our  interfering  with  the  water  cham- 
bers or  altering  in  any  way  the  weight  of  the  ship.  There 
is  a  nice  clear  space  just  ahead,  with  ample  room  in 
which  to  show  ourselves  and  to  make  a  downward  plunge 
again  beneath  that  large  ship,  the  barnacle-covered  bot- 
tom of  which  seems  to  tell  of  a  long  voyage  through 
tropic  seas.     Now  take  up  your  stations  of  observation, 


86  ASTONISHING  THE   BLUE-JACKETS. 

2'entlemen,  and  note  the  consternation  which  our  unex- 
pected  appearance  will  produce." 

The  professor's  companions  placed  themselves  at  the 
windows  of  the  pilot-house,  and  Herr  von  Schalckenberg 
at  the  same  moment  suddenly  pressed  the  end  of  the 
tiller  vertically  downward.  Obedient  to  the  helm,  the 
Flying  FisKs  sharp  snout  immediately  swerved  upward, 
and  with  a  tremendous  swirl  and  commotion  of  the  water 
the  great  ship  rushed  to  the  surface,  throwing  half  her 
length  out  of  the  sea,  only  to  disappear  again  the  next 
moment  with  a  graceful  plunging  motion  and  a  still 
greater  disturbance  of  the  water  by  her  immense  rapidly 
revolving  propeller. 

A  single  swift  glance  around  them  was  all  that  the 
travellers  were  able  to  obtain  of  the  state  of  affairs  above 
water;  but  that  sufficed  to  show  them  that  their  appear- 
ance, sudden  though  it  was,  had  attracted  a  considerable 
amount  of  notice.  They  saw  that  the  Flying  Fish  had 
broken  water  in  the  very  centre  of  a  large  fleet  of  ships, 
most  of  which  were  making  their  way  up  channel  under 
every  stitch  of  canvas  they  could  spread  before  a  very 
light  westerly  air.  Many  of  these  ships  were  evidently, 
from  their  weather-beaten  appearance,  traders  from  far- 
distant  foreign  ports;  and  their  crews,  taking  advantage 
of  the  beautifully  fine  weather  and  smooth  water,  were 
either  occupied  on  stages  slung  over  the  sides  in  giving 
the  hulls  a  touch  of  fresh  paint  to  brighten  up  their 
appearance  previous  to  going  into  port,  or  aloft,  scraping, 
painting,  and  varnishing  the  spars,  or  tarring  down  the 
rigging,  with  a  similar  object.  All  eyes  seemed  to  be 
directed  toward  the  apparition  which  had  made  its  sudden 
appearance  in  their  midst;  and  the  shouts  of  astonish- 


A   SENSATIONAL   NEWSPAPER   PARAGRAPH.  87 

iiient  and  dismay  evoked  by  that  sudden  appearance  were 
distinctly  audible  to  the  occupants  of  the  Flying  Fish's 
pilot-house.  The  hurried  way  in  which  the  crew  of  the 
large  ship  immediately  ahead  of  them  sprang  to  their  feet 
and  scrambled  in  over  the  bulwarks  from  the  stages  on 
which  they  were  working,  or  slid  down  the  freshly-tarred 
backstays  to  the  deck  as  they  saw  the  immense  object 
rushing  directly  toward  them,  was  particularly  amusing, 
and  drew  a  hearty  laugh  from  the  beholders  on  board  the 
Flying  Fish.  Another  moment,  and  the  cause  of  all  this 
commotion  was  plunging  fathoms  deep  beneath  the  keel 
of  the  last-mentioned  ship,  to  reappear  on  the  surface  a 
minute  later,  beyond  the  farthest  outskirts  of  the  fleet. 
A  judicious  manipulation  of  the  helm  kept  the  Flying 
Fish  this  time  on  the  surface  for  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a 
minute,  just  long»  enough,  in  fact,  to  satisfy  the  wonder- 
ing beholders  that  their  eyes  had  not  deceived  them,  when 
she  once  more  disappeared,  this  time  finally,  from  the  view 
of  the  fleet. 

"  That  escapade  of  ours  will  produce  a  tremendously 
sensational  paragraph  for  the  newspapers,  and  we  must 
keep  a  look-out  for  it,"  said  the  colonel.  "  I  wonder  what 
they  will  make  of  it!" 

Sure  enough,  the  paragraph  appeared  in  due  course,  to 
the  following  eflect,  as  copied  from  a  cutting  which  is  still 
preserved  in  the  professors  scrap-book: — 

APPEARANCE   OF  A  GIGANTIC   SEA  MONSTER  IN  THE 
ENGLISH   CHANNEL. 

EXTRAORDINARY     STORY. 

"  On  Wednesday  morning  last,  the  27th  instant,  a  fleet 
of  some  hundred  and  fifty  sail  of  vessels  was  ofl"  the  Start 


88  "A   GIGANTIC  fish!" 

and  about  in  mid-channel,  making  its  way  to  the  eastward 
before  a  light  westerly  air,  the  weather  at  the  time  being 
fine,  the  water  smooth,  and  the  atmosphere  perfectly 
clear.  A  portion  of  the  crews  belonging  to  several  of  the 
craft  in  question  w^ere  at  work  in  the  rigging  when  their 
attention  was  attracted  by  a  curious  commotion  which 
suddenly  appeared  on  the  surface  of  the  water  at  a  con- 
siderable distance  to  the  eastward.  The  disturbance  was 
in  the  form  of  a  long  wedge-like  ripple,  the  appearance 
being  very  pronounced  and  distinct  at  its  forward  or 
pointed  extremity,  but  less  so  at  its  rear  end,  where  it 
spread  widely  out  and  became  gradually  merged  and 
lost  in  the  gentle  ripple  caused  by  the  wind.  It  was 
travelling  directly  towards  the  fleet  at  a  speed  far  exceed- 
ing that  of  the  fastest  express  train,  and  it  bore  all  the 
appearance  of  being  the  'wake'  of  some  enormous  body 
moving  at  no  great  distance  beneath  the  surface.  While 
the  seamen  were  still  watching  it  in  wonder  and  perplex- 
ity, mingled  with  no  little  alarm,  it  had  reached  the  fleet, 
the  rippling  swell  spreading  out  on  each  side  and  curling 
over  into  a  breaker  which  dashed  against  the  sides  of  the 
several  vessels,  causing  the  smaller  craft  to  rock  and  toss 
perceptibly.  It  clove  its  irresistible  way  to  the  very 
centre  of  the  fleet,  where  there  happened  to  be  a  laro^e 
open  space  of  water,  and  here  there  suddenly  shot  into 
view  above  the  surface  a  gigantic  fish,  the  length  of  which 
is  variously  estimated  by  those  who  saw  it  as  from  four 
hundred  to  eight  hundred  feet,  with  a*  girth  of  between 
one  and  two  hundred  feet.  The  creature,  apparently 
startled  at  finding  itself  in  the  midst  of  so  many  vessels, 
immediately  dived  below  the  surface  again,  passing 
directly  beneath  the  keel  of  the  barque  Olivia^  of  London, 


A   SEA  MONSTER  DESCRIBED.  89 

from  Bangkok,  William  Rogers  master.  The  crew  of 
this  ship  had  a  most  distinct  view  of  the  monster,  as  it 
broke  water  at  not  more  than  half  a  cable's  length  (or 
some  three  hundred  feet)  from  them,  and  immediately 
afterwards  shaved  the  keel  of  the  ship  so  closely  as  almost 
to  touch  it.  Captain  Rogers,  who  was  on  deck  at  the 
time,  describes  the  creature,  and  his  description  tallies 
perfectly  with  that  of  the  other  witnesses,  as  being  some- 
what like  a  saw-fish,  without  the  saw,  in  general  shape, 
but  with  a  proportionately  longer  and  more  sharply 
pointed  head,  in  which  four  eyes,  two  in  the  upper  and 
two  in  the  lower  part  of  the  head,  were  distinctly  seen. 
The  body  was  a  beautiful  silvery  white,  glistening  in  the 
sun  like  polished  metal.  On  the  back  of  the  immense  lish 
was  a  curious  flat  protuberance,  above  which  rose  another 
in  the  form  of  a  dome-shaped  hump,  with,  if  we  may 
venture  to  repeat  so  incredible  a  story,  eyes  all  round  it, 
and  surmounted  by  an  object  having  a  very  marked  re- 
semblance to  a  silver  crown.  This  extraordinary  creature 
had  no  fins  so  far  as  could  be  seen,  but  propelled  itself 
solely  by  its  tail,  which  it  moved  with  such  wonderful 
rapidity  as  rendered  it  utterly  impossible  to  detect  the 
shape  of  it.  The  creature  was  evidently  an  air-breather, 
for  it  had  no  sooner  completely  cleared  the  fleet,  which  it 
did  in  about  one  minute,  tlie  distance  travelled  in  that 
time  being  fully  three  miles,  than  it  rose  once  more  to 
the  surface,  remaining  there  for  perhaps  half  a  minute, 
evidently  for  the  purpose  of  getting  a  fresh  supply  of  air, 
when  it  again  dived  and  was  seen  no  more." 


CHAPTER   VL 

IN   SEARCH   OF   A   SUBMERGED   WRECK. 


0  return  to  the  Flying  Fish,  It  was  exactly  two 
o'clock  P.M.  when  Lieutenant  Mildmay  announced 
that,  according  to  his  "dead  reckoning,"  they 
were  now  on  or  very  near  the  spot  indicated  on  the  chart 
by  the  professor,  and  that,  if  there  was  no  objection,  he 
should  like  to  rise  to  the  surface  in  order  to  obtain  the 
astronomical  observations  necessary  to  verify  the  ship's 
position.  The  engines  were  accordingly  stopped,  and  the 
water  being  ejected  from  the  water  chambers,  the  travel- 
lers once  more  found  themselves  above  water,  advantage 
being  taken  of  the  opportunity  to  throw  open  the  door  of 
the  pilot-house  and  step  out  on  deck. 

The  first  discovery  made  by  them  was  that  a  moderate 
breeze  was  blowing  from  the  w^estward,  with  a  corre- 
sponding amount  of  sea  and  a  very  long  heavy  swell, 
which,  however,  to  their  great  gratification,  affected  the 
Flying  Fish  only  to  a  very  trifling  extent.  When  end-on 
to  the  sea  she  pitched  a  little,  it  is  true,  but  when  broad- 
side-on  she  simply  rose  and  fell  with  the  run  of  the  sea, 
being  as  completely  free  from  rolling  motion  as  though 
she  had  still  been  on  the  stocks. 


ELUDING   OBSERVATION.  91 

Their  next  discovery  was  that  a  large  steamer  was  in 
sight,  some  seven  miles  distant;  and,  whilst  they  stood 
watching  the  way  in  which  the  craft  plunged  along  over 
the  heavy  swell,  pitching  ''  bows  under  "  occasionally,  she 
suddenly  altered  her  course  and  steered  direct  toward 
them,  her  crew  having  apparently  only  that  moment 
sighted  the  Flying  Fish,  and  being  evidently  in  great 
perplexity  as  to  what  she  could  possibly  be. 

"  Be  as  quick  as  you  can  with  your  observations.  Mild- 
may,  and  let  us  get  under  water  again,"  said  the  baronet. 
"  We  shall  perhaps  be  expected  to  explain  who  and  what 
we  are  if  that  steamer  gets  within  hail  of  us,  and  I  am 
not  particularly  anxious  to  do  that." 

The  sights  were  taken,  and,  whilst  the  steamer  was 
yet  some  five  miles  distant,  the  Flying  Fish  quietly  sank 
once  more  beneath  the  waves;  doubtless  to  the  intense 
astonishment  of  those  who  were  making  such  haste  to 
get  alongside  her. 

Eapidly,  yet  steadily,  and  with  a  perfectly  level  deck, 
the  craft  sank  lower  and  lower,  the  light  diminishing 
momentarily,  until  it  at  length  vanished  altogether,  and 
the  darkness  became  so  intense  that  it  was  impossible  for 
the  occupants  of  the  pilot-house  to  discern  each  other; 
whilst  the  silence  which  prevailed  around  them  was  first 
oppressive  and  then  awe-inspiring  in  its  intensity. 

Suddenly  a  light  shuffling  sound  arose  within  the 
pilot-house,  and  in  another  moment  the  inky  depths 
through  which  they  were  descending  became  brilliantly 
illuminated  with  a  clear  white  penetrating  light,  in  which 
every  detail  of  the  ship's  hull  fore  and  aft  stood  out 
distinctly  visible,  whilst  here  and  there,  above,  below, 
and  on  either  side  of  them,  a  momentary  gleam  revealed 


92  A   SUBMARINE   QUEST. 

the  presence  of  some  startled  and  hastily  retreating 
denizen  of  the  deep.  The  professor  had  lighted  up  the 
electric  lanterns,  the  especial  purpose  of  which  was  to 
illuminate  the  sea  around  the  ship,  leaving  the  interior 
of  the  pilot-house  still  in  darkness,  in  order  that  its 
occupants  might  enjoy,  to  the  fullest  extent,  the  novelty 
of  the  scene  thus  suddenly  revealed  to  them,  and  also 
that,  on  reaching  the  bottom,  they  might  the  better  be 
able  to  distinguish  external  objects. 

Lower  and  lower  sank  the  Flying  Fish,  and  at  length, 
after  what  seemed  to  the  travellers  an  almost  inter- 
minable descent,  she  reached  the  bottom. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,"  exclaimed  the  professor,  with  some 
slight  evidences  of  excitement  in  the  tones  of  his  voice, 
"  look  around  you,  and  see  if  you  can  discover  anything 
unusual  in  our  neighbourhood." 

The  persons  addressed  did  as  they  were  requested,  the 
professor  himself  also  peering  eagerly  out  of  each  of  the 
pilot-house  windows  in  turn,  but  without  result;  the 
electric  lamps,  though  they  brilliantly  illuminated  the 
scene  on  all  sides  for  fully  fifty  yards,  and  rendered 
objects  distinguishable  for  at  least  three  times  that 
distance,  revealed  nothing  but  a  plain  completely  covered 
with  rocks  and  boulders,  some  of  which  were  of  enormous 
size,  and  all  thickly  overgrown  with  sea- weed. 

"  What  is  it  you  expected  to  find  down  here,  professor?" 
asked  the  colonel,  when  it  had  become  perfectly  evident 
that  nothing  but  rocks  lay  within  their  range  of  vision. 

"  The  hull  of  a  ship,"  answered  the  professor.  "  She 
foundered  on  or  near  the  spot  indicated  by  me,  and  cannot 
be  far  ofi*;  unless,  indeed,  we  are  out  in  our  reckoning. 
Have  you  worked  out  your  calculations,  Mildmay?" 


IN   DANGER  OF  COLLISION.  93 

"  Not  yet,"  answered  the  lieutenant,  "  but  I  soon  will 
do  so  if  you  will  oblige  us  with  a  little  light  inside  here." 

"  Ah,  true !  I  had  forgotten,"  murmured  the  professor 
apologetically,  and  he  lighted  the  lamp  which  hung  sus- 
pended above  the  table  in  the  pilot-house. 

The  lieutenant  sat  down  and  rapidly  worked  out  his 
observations,  with  the  resulting  discovery  that  they  were 
exactly  two  miles  north-east  of  the  spot  they  were  seek- 
ing, having  doubtless  been  swept  that  much  out  of  their 
proper  position  by  the  tide.  The  Flying  Fish  was  accor- 
dingly raised  some  fifty  feet  from  the  bottom,  her  engines 
were  once  more  set  in  motion,  slowly  this  time,  however, 
and  the  ship's  head  laid  in  the  proper  direction,  the 
occupants  of  the  pilot-house  stationing  themselves  at  the 
windows  and  peering  out  eagerly  ahead  on  the  look-out 
for  the  object  of  their  search. 

The  engines  being  set  to  work  dead  slow  and  stopped 
at  intervals  when  the  speed  became  too  high,  the  speed 
of  the  Flying  Fish  was  kept  down  to  about  twelve  knots 
per  hour,  at  which  rate  she  would  occupy  ten  minutes  in 
traversing  the  required  distance.  She  had  been  under 
weigh  exactly  nine  minutes  when  Mildmay  exclaimed: 

"  Sail  ho!  That  is  to  say,  there  is  a  large  object  of  some 
kind  dead  ahead.  Port  hard,  professor,  or  we  shall  be 
into  it." 

The  professor,  who  was  not  absolutely  ignorant  of 
nautical  phraseology,  promptly  ported  his  helm  and 
at  the  same  moment  stopped  the  engines,  by  which 
manoeuvre  the  Flying  Fish  glided  close  past  the  object 
so  slowly  that  it  was  easily  distinguishable  as  a  huge 
pinnacle  of  rock. 

They  were  now  on  the  exact  spot  indicated  by  the 


94  THE   QUEST   CONTINUED. 

professor  on  the  chart,  but  nothing  in  the  slightest  degree 
resembling  the  hull  of  a  ship  was  in  sight.  Rocks  in  the 
form  of  pinnacles,  huge  fantastic  boulders,  and  boldly 
jutting  reefs  appeared  all  round,  as  far  as  the  powerful 
lamps  of  the  ship  could  project  their  rays,  but  no  ship 
was  to  be  seen.  They  rose  some  fifty  feet  higher,  in 
order  to  see  over  the  more  lofty  rocks,  some  of  which 
intercepted  their  view,  but  with  no  more  successful  result. 

"  There  is  no  ship  here,  professor,"  at  last  remarked  the 
baronet,  after  all  hands  had  carefully  inspected  the  whole 
of  the  ground  within  their  ken.  "  Are  you  quite  sure  of 
the  accuracy  of  your  information?" 

"  My  information  has  reference  only  to  an  approximate 
position;  the  ship  is  hereabout — within  a  few  miles  of 
this  spot — and  I  considered  that  our  best  chance  of  dis- 
covering her  lay  in  coming  here  first,  and,  if  necessary, 
prosecuting  our  search  with  this  position  as  a  starting- 
point." 

'<  Very  good.  Then,  as  the  object  of  our  quest  is  mani- 
festly not  here,  I  propose  that  we  proceed  with  our  search 
at  once." 

By  way  of  reply  the  professor  put  the  helm  hard  over, 
and  once  more  set  the  engines  slowly  in  motion,  thus 
causing  the  ship  to  travel  in  a  circle  about  the  spot;  all 
hands  going,  as  before,  to  the  windows  of  the  pilot-house 
on  the  look-out. 

The  circle  described  by  the  Flying  Fish  was  a  very 
small  one — not  more  than  two  hundred  feet  in  diameter — 
and  the  inmates  of  the  pilot-house  were  therefore  able  to 
carefully  examine  every  inch  of  ground  within  its  cir- 
cumference. One  complete  circuit  having  been  accom- 
plished without  result,  the  helm  was  very  slightly  altered, 


found!  95 

and  the  ship  then  went  on  in  a  continually  widening 
spiral  w^hich  must  necessarily  at  length  take  her  to  the 
object  of  her  search,  if  indeed  it  actually  existed. 

That  it  did  so  was  ultimately  demonstrated,  the  pro- 
fessor himself  being  the  first  to  make  its  discovery. 

The  wreck,  when  first  sighted,  was  distant  about  one 
hundred  yards  on  their  starboard  hand,  and  only  just 
within  range  of  the  circle  of  electric  light.  The  ship's 
head  was  at  once  turned  in  that  direction,  the  engines 
being  at  the  same  time  stopped,  to  permit  of  a  very  gradual 
approach. 

All  eyes  were  of  course  intently  fixed  upon  the  strange 
object;  and  they  had  neared  it  to  wdthin  about  one 
hundred  feet,  when  Lieutenant  Mildmay  exclaimed  in  a 
low,  awe-struck  voice: 

"  Just  as  I  suspected !     It  is  the  Daedalus!* 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  professor  very  quietly;  "it  is  that 
most  unfortunate  ship.  And  now,  gentlemen,  wdth  your 
permission  I  will  anchor  the  Flying  Fish,  and  pay  a 
visit — unaccompanied — to  the  wreck." 

It  was  evident,  from  the  extreme  gravity  of  the  pro- 
fessor's demeanour,  that  his  proposed  visit  was  prompted 
by  some  other  motive  than  that  of  mere  idle  curiosity; 
his  companions  therefore  simply  bowed  in  token  of 
acquiescence,  and  permitted  von  Schalckenberg  to  follow 
undisturbed  the  bent  of  his  own  inclinations. 

The  Flying  Fish,  meanwhile,  had  been  caused  to  de- 
scend to  the  bottom,  to  which  she  was  at  once  secured 
by  her  four  grip-anchors;  immediately  after  which  the 
professor,  with  a  somewhat  hurried  and  incoherent 
apology,  left  his  companions  and  descended  to  the  diving- 
room. 


a  -r\  A  "n^"rv  A  t  tto   " 


96  THE    "DAEDALUS. 

Left  to  themselves,  the  trio  occupying  the  pilot-house 
had  ample  leisure  to  note  the  position  and  surroundings 
of  the  ill-fated  steamer. 

She  had  settled  down  upon  a  flat  ledge  of  level  rock, 
and  rested,  keel  downwards,  in  a  perfectly  upright  posi- 
tion, having  apparently  recovered  herself  whilst  settling 
down.  She  was  greatly  damaged,  both  in  hull  and 
rigging;  the  spar-deck  and  forecastle  being  swept  away, 
and  her  main  deck  blown  up  in  midships,  very  possibly 
through  the  explosion  of  her  boilers.  Her  bowsprit  and 
mizzen-mast  were  gone,  as  was  also  her  fore  topmast; 
and  the  mainmast,  with  topmast  and  all  attached,  was 
leaning  aft,  and  so  far  over  the  side  that  the  observers 
would  not  have  been  surprised  to  see  it  fall  at  any 
moment.  Loose  ropes  were  trailing  in  all  directions;  and 
the  tattered  remains  of  sails  still  hung  from  some  of  the 
yards  and  stays,  swaying  occasionally  in  a  slow,  weird, 
ghostly  manner,  with  the  mysterious  intermittent  under- 
currents of  the  sea. 

The  trio  were  still  discussing  the  particulars  of  the  sad 
disaster,  which,  on  a  stormy  September  night,  had  resulted 
in  the  drowning  of  nearly  five  hundred  people,  and  the 
plunging  of  the  ship  herself  to  the  depths  wherein  they 
had  so  strangely  found  her,  when  the  figure  of  the  pro- 
fessor, clad  in  his  suit  of  diving  armour  and  dwindled  in 
apparent  dimensions  by  his  great  distance  below  them, 
was  seen  to  emerge  from  the  black  shadow  of  the  Flying 
Fish's  hull  and  make  his  way  slowly  and  laboriously 
over  the  rocky  bottom  toward  the  wreck.  A  couple  of 
minutes  sufiiced  him  to  perform  the  short  journey;  and 
scrambling  up  the  side  by  the  aid  of  some  of  the  dangling 
gear,  he  entered  the  poop  cabin  and  disappeared. 


WHERE   IS   THE   PROFESSOR?  97 

The  party  in  the  pilot-house  finished  their  chat;  and 
then  sauntered  down  into  the  music  saloon,  of  which 
they  had  seen  nothing  since  the  night  of  their  departure 
from  London — actually  only  two  nights  before,  but  they 
had  since  then  been  so  satiated  with  novel  sights  and 
experiences  that  it  really  seemed  as  though  at  least  a 
month  had  elapsed  since  they  last  passed  the  threshold. 
Here  they  beguiled  the  time  so  effectually  with  music, 
vocal  and  instrumental,  that  it  was  not  until  George 
appeared  announcing  dinner  that  it  occurred  to  either  of 
them  that  the  professor  had  been  out  of  the  ship  nearly 
three  hours. 

"Where  can  the  man  be?  Surely  some  accident  must 
have  befallen  him!"  exclaimed  the  baronet,  starting  up 
in  alarm. 

"  Not  necessarily,"  replied  the  colonel.  "  The  professor 
is  pretty  well  able  to  take  care  of  himself.  It  is  much 
more  probable  that  he  has  discovered  some  object  of 
exceptional  interest  on  board  the  wreck,  or  has  fallen 
into  a  scientific  reverie  as  to  the  actual  cause  of  the 
disaster — the  cause,  I  mean,  from  a  scientist's  point  of 
view.  Sound  the  gong,  George;  water  is  a  good  conductor, 
and  he  may  possibly  hear  it  and  be  awakened  to  a  con- 
sciousness that  time  flies." 

The  gong  was  accordingly  struck,  and  the  three  com- 
panions hastened  to  the  pilot-house  to  watch  for  results. 
The  call  proved  effectual,  for  in  less  than  five  minutes 
afterwards  the  professor  made  his  appearance  on  the 
deck  of  the  wreck,  soon  afterwards  rejoining  his  friends 
on  board  the  Flying  Fish  in  the  vestibule  outside  the 
saloons.  He  carried  in  his  hand  a  small  compact  package, 
which  he  deposited  carefully  on  the  sideboard,  and  then, 

(359)  G 


98  AN   EXPLANATION. 

with  a  much  more  cheerful  mien  than  he  had  worn  when 
setting  out  upon  his  solitary  journey,  took  his  accustomed 
place  at  the  table,  apparently  quite  prepared  to  do  full 
justice  to  the  meal  which  was  about  to  be  served. 

The  soup  and  fish  were  discussed  in  silence;  a  glass  of 
wine  was  then  imbibed  with  much  apparent  enjoyment, 
and  this  unlocked  the  professor's  lips. 
.  "  I  feel  it  to  be  due  to  you,  gentlemen — and  more 
especially  to  yon,  Sir  Reginald — to  offer  some  explana- 
tion of  the  motive  which  influenced  me  in  my  proposal 
that  w^e  should  come  hither,"  he  remarked,  setting  his 
wine-glass  down  on  the  table.  "  I  had  a  threefold  object 
in  view.  In  the  first  place,  I  felt  curious  to  know  whether 
it  would  be  possible  to  find,  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  an 
object  the  position  of  which  is  only  approximately  known. 
In  the  second  place,  I  was  anxious  to  secure  a  relic. 
And  in  the  third  place,  I  was  almost  equally  anxious  to 
recover  a  most  valuable  document  which  I  was  convinced 
had  gone  down  in  the  unfortunate  Daedalus,  With 
regard  to  the  first-named  object,  you  have  already  wit- 
nessed our  complete  success.  I  have  also  been  successful 
in  the  remaining  tw^o." 

The  speaker  paused  here;  but  it  was  so  evident  from 
his  manner  that  he  had  not  yet  said  all  he  had  to  say 
upon  the  subject  that  his  companions  contented  them- 
selves with  mere  simple  monosyllabic  murmurs  of  polite 
congratulation,  and  then  awaited  in  silence  -a  further 
communication. 

The  professor  continued  silent  and  evidently  plunged 
deep  in  a  somewhat  sombre  reverie  for  several  minutes; 
then  he  lifted  his  head  and  said  somewhat  hesitatingly: 

"You  will  perhaps  be  surprised  to  learn  that  my  life 


THE   professor's   LOVE   STORY.  99 

has  not  been  left  wholly  ungilded  by  the  halo  of  romance. 
Five-ancl-twenty  years  ago,  when  Science  had  perhaps 
not  obtained  so  tight  a  grip  upon  me  as  she  now  has,  it 
was  my  fate  to  meet  the  loveliest  woman  I  have  ever 
beheld.  She  was  an  only  daughter,  of  English  parentage; 
and  chance  threw  us  somewhat  more  intimately  together 
than  is  usual  with  people  who  become  acquainted  casu- 
ally and  informally.  I  fell  blindly,  madly  in  love  with 
this  peerless  creature;  and,  gentlemen,  I  have  since — and 
alas,  too  late ! — had  reason  to  believe  that,  strange  as  such 
a  circumstance  may  appear  to  you,  she  did  not  altogether 
escape  a  reciprocal  passion.  But  my  studious  habits  had 
brought  with  them  one  serious  disadvantage — I  was  in- 
describably diffident  and  shy;  so  much  so  that  when  the 
time  arrived  that  I  must  either  unbosom  myself  or  let 
her  pass  away  out  of  my  life,  perhaps  for  ever,  I  found 
myself  without  the  courage  to  make  the  necessary  decla- 
ration. We  parted  without  a  word  of  love  having  passed 
between  us.  She  remained  single  for  five  years — to  give 
me  an  opportunity  of  declaring  myself,  as  I  now  know — 
and  then  married  a  man  far  more  worthy  of  her  than  I 
could  ever  have  proved.  Gentlemen,  her  only  child,  a  lad 
of  fifteen,  went  down  with  the  ill-fated  Daedalus;  and 
the  mother  is  to-day  breaking  her  heart  because,  by  some 
perverse  chance,  she  does  not  possess  a  single  memento 
of  her  lost  boy.  My  visit  to  the  wreck,  however,  will 
remove  that  source  of  grief;  for  I  shall  have  the  melan- 
choly satisfaction  of  transmitting  to  the  dear  lady,  by 
the  first  safe  conveyance  which  oflTers  itself,  the  watch 
and  chain  and  the  signet-ring  which  he  wore  when  he 
bade  her  a  final  farewell.  In  the  moment  that  I  con- 
quered the  last  difficulty  connected  with  the  construction 


100  A  RECOVERED  TREASURE. 

of  this  ship,  and  felt  assured  that  she  would  prove  a 
success,  I  vowed  to  myself  that,  by  the  courtesy  of  our 
amiable  host,  I  would  avail  myself  of  the  means  she 
would  offer  for  securing  some  memento  of  that  poor  lad; 
and  I  have  to-day  at  once  performed  my  vow  and  passed 
through  scenes  of  such  surpassing  horror  as  probably  no 
mortal  has  ever  witnessed  before,  and  which  language 
has  no  words  to  describe. 

"  The  third  object  of  my  visit  to  the  wreck  is  before 
you  in  the  shape  of  yonder  package.  It  is  a  manuscript 
book  filled  with  jottings  and  memoranda,  the  result  of 
some  thirty  years  of  profound  research  in  the  many  by- 
paths of  science.  It  was  the  property  of  an  officer  of  the 
ship  with  whom  I  had  corresponded  for  many  years;  and, 
knowing  how  greatly  I  coveted  the  book,  he  left  it  me  in 
his  will,  probably  little  thinking,  poor  fellow !  that  it  was 
fated  to  go  with  him  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  On  being 
made  acquainted  with  the  circumstances  of  his  death,  and 
also  with  his  bequest,  I  surmised  at  once  that  the  precious 
volume  must  have  been  in  his  immediate  possession  when 
the  ship  foundered.  And  having  visited  him  on  board,  as 
well  as  had  occasion  to  notice  the  place  in  which  the  book 
was  ordinarily  kept,  I  had  very  little  difficulty  in  placing 
my  hand  upon  it." 

"I  suppose  matters  are  in  a  very  terrible  state  on 
board  the  wreck?"  asked  the  baronet. 

"  So  bad,"  was  the  reply,  "  that,  knowing  what  I  now 
know,  I  cannot  think  of  any  motive  powerful  enough  to 
induce  me  to  repeat  my  visit.  I  had  two  very  strong 
motives  for  going  on  board  the  ship;  and,  as  each  succes- 
sive horror  presented  itself,  I  thought,  surely  there  can 
be  nothing  worse  than  this;  and  I  pressed  onward,  only 


A  PROPOSAL.  101 

to  encounter  greater  and  still  greater  horrors  at  every 
step.  But  I  would  not  go  there  again  even  to  achieve 
what  I  have  achieved  to-day." 

"Ah!"  said  the  baronet,  ''I  have  a  great  curiosity  to 
see  what  the  ship  herself  looks  like  after  such  a  tremen- 
dous catastrophe;  but,  if  the  sights  to  be  witnessed  on 
board  her  be  one-tenth  part  so  bad  as  your  words  would 
lead  one  to  suppose,  I  would  not  go  near  her  for  the 
world." 

"  Nor  I,"  said  the  colonel. 

"  Nor  I,"  added  Mildmay. 

"You  are  wise,  gentlemen,"  remarked  the  professor. 
"I  can  quite  understand  your  curiosity;  but,  were  you 
to  gratify  it,  your  pleasure  would  be  effectually  destroyed 
for  the  remainder  of  the  voyage." 

"  That  reminds  me  to  ask  the  question,  Where  are  we 
going  next?"  said  Sir  Reginald. 

The  professor  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  spread  out 
his  hands,  palms  upwards. 

"  The  world  is  all  before  you  where  to  choose,"  he  re- 
plied. "You  have  only  to  name  a  place,  and  it  will  be 
strano^e  indeed  if  we  cannot  o-et  there." 

"  Well,  for  my  own  part,  I  am  of  opinion  that  it  will  be 
wise  for  us  to  devote  this  trip  as  far  as  possible  to  the 
visiting  of  such  spots  as  it  is  difficult  or  impossible  to 
reach  by  any  other  means.    What  say  you,  gentlemen?" 

This  from  the  baronet. 

The  others  expressed  their  full  coincidence  in  this 
opinion. 

"Very  well,  then,"  continued  Sir  Reginald;  "my  pro- 
posal is  that,  as  the  days  are  now  at  their  longest,  and 
this  is  therefore  the  most  favourable  time  for  such  an 


102  A   RESOLUTION. 

expedition — and  as,  moreover,  the  Flying  Fish's  stores 
have  as  yet  been  barely  broached — we  make  the  best  of 
our  way  forthwith  to  the  North  Pole,  there  to  enjoy  a 
little  of  the  choice  sport  which  we  may  reasonably  hope 
to  find  among  animals  that  have  never  yet  seen  the  face 
of  man." 

"A  most  admirable  proposal,  and  one  which  we  are 
especially  well  adapted  to  successfully  carry  out,"  ex- 
claimed the  professor  enthusiastically.  The  colonel  and 
Mildmay  also  gave  their  cordial  assent  to  the  plan. 

"Very  well,  then;  that  is  settled,"  remarked  von 
Schalckenberg.  "Now,  to  revert  for  a  moment  to  the 
subject  of  the  wreck.  You  have  not  been  on  board  her, 
as  I  have ;  but,  even  with  the  comparatively  distant  view 
you  have  had  of  her,  I  think  you  must  have  seen  that 
she  is  injured  beyohd  all  possibility  of  repair;  to  say 
nothing  of  the  fact  that  she  is  lying  in  a  spot  from  which 
it  would  be  difficult— quite  impossible,  indeed,  without  our 
assistance — to  recover  her.  Now,  it  has  occurred  to  me 
that,  all  things  taken  into  consideration,  it  would  be  a 
good  deed  to  destroy  her.  What  say  you,  gentlemen? 
It  would  afford  us  an  excellent  opportunity  for  making 
trial  of  one  of  our  shells." 

"  Destroy  her,  by  all  means,"  said  the  baronet. 

"  I  can  see  no  possible  objection,"  observed  the  colonel. 

"  Nor  I,"  remarked  Mildmay.  "  As  to  assisting  in  her 
recovery,  I  would  not  stir  so  much  as  my  little  linger  to 
do  it;  she  has  already  drowned  some  five  hundred  human 
beings,  which  is  quite  enough  mischief  for  one  ship." 

"  Quite  so,"  coincided  the  professor.  "  Then  we  will  do 
the  deed  after  dinner." 

Accordingly,  half  an  hour  later,  the  party  rose  from 


il  T^  A  T?T\  A  T  TTO    " 


DESTRUCTION    OF   THE   "DAEDALUS.  103 

the  table  and  made  their  way  to  the  pilot-house,  where 
the  professor  delivered  a  little  lecture  on  the  mode  of 
firing  the  shells.  Then,  accompanied  by  the  colonel,  who 
had  proffered  his  assistance,  von  Schalckenberg  proceeded 
to  the  fore  end  of  the  ship  to  make  the  requisite  arrange- 
ments. It  being  a  first  experiment,  the  preparation 
occupied  fully  ten  minutes — or  ten  times  as  long  as  he 
should  allow  himself  in  future,  the  professor  remarked. 
Then,  all  being  ready,  a  return  was  made  to  the  pilot- 
house; the  anchors  were  withdrawn  from  the  ground,  and 
the  Flying  Fish  was  got  under  weigh.  The  monster 
circled  once  or  twice  round  the  doomed  wreck,  seeking 
the  most  suitable  point  of  attack,  which  having  been 
decided  upon,  the  sharp  nose  of  the  submarine  ship  was 
pointed  straight  at  the  Daedalus,  and  the  professor 
touched  a  knob.  At  the  same  instant — so  it  appeared, 
so  rapid  was  the  discharge — there  was  a  blinding  flash  of 
light  on  board  the  wreck,  a  terrific  concussion,  but  no 
sound,  and  the  wreck  vanished;  that  is  the  only  word 
which  adequately  describes  the  suddenness  and  complete- 
ness of  her  destruction.  The  concussion  was  so  violent 
that  it  jarred  the  Flying  Fish  throughout  the  whole  of 
her  vast  frame;  indeed,  but  for  her  tremendous  strength 
she  would  in  all  probability  have  herself  been  destroyed. 
As  it  was,  no  damage  or  harm  whatever  was  done  on 
board  beyond  throwing  the  four  occupants  of  the  pilot- 
house somewhat  violently  to  the  floor,  and  terrifying  the 
cook  and  the  hitherto  sedate  George  almost  out  of  their 
senses. 

But  perhaps  even  they  were  less  frightened  than  were 
the  captain  and  crew  of  a  small  Levant  trader  which 
happened  at  the  moment  to  be  almost  directly  above  the 


104  THE   LEVANT  TRADE. 

scene  of  the  explosion.  All  hands  felt  the  jar;  the  watch 
below  frantically  sprang  on  deck  under  the  impression 
that  they  had  collided  with  another  vessel;  and  the  skip- 
per, who  happened  to  be  standing  near  the  tafFrail,  was 
horrified  beyond  expression  to  see  an  immense  cone  of 
water  some  thirty  feet  high  rise  out  of  the  sea  just  astern 
of  his  vessel,  to  fall  next  moment  with  a  deafening  splash 
and  an  accompanying  surge  which  tossed  the  little  vessel 
as  helplessly  about  for  a  moment  or  two  as  though  she 
had  been  the  merest  cockle-shell.  It  took  that  skipper 
nearly  half  an  hour  to  fully  recover  his  faculties;  and 
when  he  did  so,  his  first  act  was  to  go  below  and  solemnly 
make  an  entry  in  his  official  log  to  the  efifect  that,  on  such 
and  such  a  date  at  such  an  hour,  in  latitude  and  longi- 
tude so  and  so,  the  weather  at  the  time  being  fine,  with 
a  moderate  breeze  from  s.w.,  the  schooner  Pomona  had 
experienced  a  terrific  shock  of  earthquake  with  an  ac- 
companying disturbance  of  water  which  nearly  swamped 
the  ship.  This  entry  he  signed  in  the  presence  of  the 
mate,  secured  that  officer's  signature  to  it  also,  and  then, 
reviving  his  courage  with  a  glass  of  grog  stiff  enough  to 
float  Sb  marlinespike,  he  retired  to  his  bunk. 


& 


•^t^ii^- 


CHAPTER  VII. 


EN  ROUTE  FOR  THE  NORTH  POLE. 


HE  destruction  of  the  wreck  having  been  effected, 
the  Flying  Fish  moved  a  few  miles  northward 
until  she   reached    a  small   level  sandy  patch 


affording  a  good  berth  for  the  night,  and  there  she  was 
once  more  placed  upon  the  ground  and  anchored. 

Nothing  whatever  occurred  to  disturb  the  repose  of  the 
travellers;  and,  after  passing  a  tranquil  night,  they  as- 
sembled at  the  breakfast  table  punctually  at  eight  o'clock 
on  the  following  morning.  An  hour  later,  having  finished 
their  meal,  the  quartette  rose,  and  made  their  way  to  the 
pilot-house,  where  preparations  were  at  once  commenced 
for  an  ascent  to  the  surface.  On  this  occasion  the  pro- 
fessor being  anxious  that  the  other  members  of  the  party 
should  become  conversant  with  the  method  of  handling 
the  ship,  the  baronet  placed  himself  at  the  tiller — from 
which  post  the  entire  apparatus  controlling  the  move- 
ments of  the  vessel  could  be  reached — and,  with  von 
Schalckenberg  at  his  elbow  to  correct  him  in  the  event 
of  a  possible  mistake,  the  ascent  was  begun.  This,  from 
prudential  motives,  was  slowly  accomplished,  and  at  a 
distance  of  five  fathoms  from  the  surface  a  pause  was 
made  for  the  purpose  of  taking  a  good  look  round  and 


106  A   DANGER   OF   SUBMARINE   NAVIGATION. 

thus  avoiding  all  possibility  of  inflicting  damage  on  pass- 
ing ships  in  the  act  of  breaking  water.  It  was  well  that 
this  precaution  was  observed;  for  their  first  glance  re- 
vealed to  them  the  bottom  of  a  large  steamer  close  at 
hand  and  coming  rapidly  straight  toward  them;  and  had 
the  Flying  Fish  continued  to  rise  she  would  have  broken 
water  directly  under  the  stranger's  bows.  As  it  was,  by 
backing  astern  a  few  yards  they  gave  the  steamer  good 
room  to  pass;  and  it  was  both  interesting  and  novel  to 
see  the  great  mass  go  plunging  heavily  past  with  the  long 
sea- grass  waving  and  trailing  from  her  bottom,  and  the 
great  propeller  spinning  rapidly  round,  now  completely  im- 
mersed, and  anon  lifted  almost  entirely  out  of  the  water. 
Qnce  clear  of  her,  the  Flying  Fish  sank  to  a  depth  of  ten 
fathoms,  and  after  a  ten-mile  run  at  full  speed,  once  more 
paused  to  reconnoitre.  This  time  the  sea  was  clear  for  at 
least  a  mile  in  every  direction — which  was  as  far  as  they 
could  see  in  the  then  condition  of  the  water — and  they  at 
once  rose  to  the  surface. 

The  horizon  proved  to  be  clear  in  every  direction  save 
to  the  southward,  in  which  quarter  the  upper  spars  of 
the  steamer  they  had  so  lately  encountered  were  still 
visible.  The  wind  was  blowing  a  moderate  breeze  from 
S.S.E. — almost  a  dead  fair  wind  for  the  Flying  Fish — the 
w^eather  also  was  delightfully  fine  and  clear;  it  was 
therefore  promptly  resolved  to  take  to  the  air  once  more 
and  thus  wing  their  way  northward. 

The  valves  of  the  air-chambers  were  accordingly 
thrown  open  to  their  full  extent,  when,  with  a  screaming 
roar,  the  highly  compressed  air  at  once  rushed  forth,  and 
in  less  than  half  a  minute  the  huge  bulk  of  the  ship  was 
lying  poised  as  lightly  as  an  air-bubble  on  the  surface  of 


A   LEISURELY  FLIGHT.  107 

the  heaving  water.  The  main  vapour-valve  was  then 
cautiously  opened,  and  a  partial  vacuum  produced,  when, 
as  easily  as  a  sea-bird,  the  Flying  Fish  rose  at  once  into 
the  air.  The  engines  were  next  turned  ahead,  the  helm 
adjusted,  and  the  northward  journey  was  fairly  begun. 

The  wind  was  blowing  at  the  rate  of  about  fifteen  miles 
an  hour,  and  nearly  dead  fair;  the  engines  were  therefore 
set  so  as  just  to  turn  round  and  no  more;  this  gave  the 
ship  a  speed  of  about  twelve  knots  through  the  air,  which, 
added  to  the  rate  of  the  wind,  gave  a  total  speed  of 
twenty-seven  knots  over  the  ground — or  rather  over  the 
water — and  at  this  pace  they  calculated  that,  after  making 
the  necessary  allowance  in  their  course  for  the  set  of  the 
wind,  they  would  reach  the  Irish  coast,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Cape  Clear,  at  about  five  o'clock  the  next  morning.  Their 
reason  for  not  travelling  faster  was  that,  as  the  baronet 
said,  they  were  on  a  pleasure  cruise,  and  having  been 
pent  up  inside  the  hull  for  fully  thirty-six  hours,  they 
felt  that  a  few  hours  in  the  open  air  would  be  an  accept- 
able change. 

They  pursued  their  flight  throughout  the  day  at  an 
altitude  of  only  a  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  except 
when  they  encountered  a  ship — which  happened  only 
once  during  the  hours  of  daylight — and  when  this  oc- 
curred they  rose,  on  the  instant  of  sighting  her,  to  the 
highest  attainable  distance,  in  pursuance  of  their  resolve 
to  attract  as  little  attention  as  possible,  descending  again 
to  their  former  level  as  soon  as  they  had  passed  beyond 
her  range  of  vision.  At  this  latter  elevation  they  were 
able  to  enjoy  to  the  full  the  health -giving  properties  of 
the  pure  sea-breeze,  and  to  revel  in  a  prospect — though  it 
was  only  that  of  the  restless  sea — of  nearly  forty  nautical 


108  A   NEW   AMUSEMENT. 

miles  on  every  side;  the  horizon,  that  is  to  say,  forming 
a  circle  of  little  less  than  eighty  miles  diameter  round 
about  them.  And  though  it  may  be  hastily  thought  that, 
with  a  sea  bare  of  craft  there  was  little  or  nothing  to  in- 
terest the  travellers,  this  was  by  no  means  the  case;  for 
at  their  height  the  water  was  clear  and  transparent  for  a 
long  distance  below  the  surface,  and  the  gambols  of  the 
fish,  of  which  there  were  great  numbers  visible,  including 
several  schools  of  porpoises  and  a  solitary  whale,  could 
be  seen  distinctly,  affording  a  most  interesting  sight;  and 
when  they  grew  tired  of  this  they  promenaded  the  spa- 
cious deck,  or  lounged  about  in  chairs,  smoking  their 
cigars  or  pipes,  and  discussing  with  much  animation  their 
future  prospects.  And  now,  for  the  first  time,  a  fact 
in  connection  with  the  automatic  balancing  apparatus 
brought  itself  under  their  notice.  It  was  this.  They 
found  that,  let  them  walk  about  the  ship  where  and  as 
much  as  they  chose,  the  balance  of  the  ship  always  re- 
mained perfect;  but  the  little  jets  of  air  which,  at  their 
every  movement,  were  admitted  into  the  hull  to  main- 
tain its  equilibrium,  soon  had  a  perceptible  influence  on 
the  vessel's  buoyancy,  causing  her  to  slowly  but  steadily 
descend  toward  the  surface  of  the  sea,  thus  necessitating 
periodic  visits  to  the  pilot-house  to  renew  the  vacuum. 
This  set  the  professor's  brain  to  work,  and  by  nightfall  he 
succeeded — with  the  aid  of  a  second  barometer  having:  a 
small  piece  of  highly  magnetized  steel  floating  on  the  top 
of  the  mercurial  column,  and  a  couple  of  magnetized  steel 
bars — in  constructing  a  somewhat  rude  but  thoroughly 
efficient  apparatus  for  automatically  maintaining  the  ship 
at  any  desired  height,  unaffected  by  the  movements,  be 
they  few  or  many,  of  those  on  board. 


THE    **  FLYING   FISH  "   TAKES   CARE   OF  HERSELF.         109 

By  the  time  that  this  apparatus  had  been  fixed,  and 
subjected  to  the  test  of  an  hour's  conscientious  walking 
fore  and  aft  the  deck  by  the  entire  party,  the  dinner-hour 
had  arrived,  and  they  retired  below  with  such  appetites 
as  only  a  day's  exposure  to  the  tonic  effects  of  a  sea- 
breeze — minus  all  uncomfortable  motion — could  produce. 
The  fullest  justice  was  consequently  done  to  the  meal, 
after  which  they  made  their  way  once  more  to  the  deck, 
and  there,  under  a  brilliant  star-lit  sky,  gave  themselves 
up  to  the  soothing  influence  of  the  weed  and  the  renewed 
enjoyment  of  their  novel  position.  Midnight  found  them 
quite  ready  for  their  state-rooms,  and  at  that  hour  they 
accordingly  retired ;  the  professor  first  of  all,  as  a  matter 
of  precaution,  increasing  the  ship's  altitude  to  four  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea-level,  and  then  paying  a  visit  of 
inspection  to  the  engine-room.  Matters  were  found  to  be 
all  right  there;  the  engines  were  working  smoothly  and 
noiselessly,  the  bearings  were  quite  cool,  and  the  automatic 
feed  was  doing  its  work  to  perfection.  The  ship,  then, 
being  at  such  a  height  as  to  be  clear  of  all  danger,  and 
steering  herself  in  the  required  direction,  with  all  the 
machinery  in  perfect  working  order,  the  weather  also 
being  fine  and  wearing  a  settled  aspect,  von  Schalcken- 
berg  told  himself  that  there  was  not  the  slightest  neces- 
sity for  the  maintenance  of  a  look-out,  and  he  therefore 
also  retired.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  the  whole  of  the 
crew  were  sunk  in  profound  repose,  and  the  Flying  Fish, 
left  to  herself,  was  leisurely  wending  her  way  northward 
at  a  height  of  nearly  a  mile  above  the  earth's  surface. 

The  first  of  the  quartette  to  put  in  an  appearance  on 
deck  next  morning  was  the  professor,  who  was  awakened 
just  as  day  was  breaking  by  the  faint  sound  of  a  steam 


110  THE   PROFESSOR   STARTLED. 

whistle.  Springing  hastily  from  his  very  comfortable 
couch,  he  rushed  up  the  companion  way  and  into  the 
open  air,  without  even  pausing  to  don  his  nether  garments. 
Springing  to  the  guard  rail  he  looked  around  and  below 
him,  and  the  half-formed  fear  that  something  had  gone 
amiss,  and  that  the  ship  was  in  danger,  was  at  once  dissi- 
pated. He  saw  that  the  Flying  Fish  was  moving  rapidly 
along,  with  the  land  beneath  her,  the  breeze  having 
freshened  during  the  night,  whilst  still  blowing  from  the 
same  quarter,  causing  them  to  reach  the  Irish  coast  sooner 
than  had  been  anticipated.  The  mercury  stood  at  the 
same  height  in  the  tube  as  it  had  done  when  tliey  retired 
to  rest  on  the  preceding  night;  the  ship  had  consequently 
maintained  her  approximate  height  above  the  sea-level, 
the  only  variation  being  that  due  to  the  greater  or  lesser 
density  of  the  atmosphere;  which  was  eminently  satisfac- 
tory, as  it  showed  that  the  professor's  hastily  constructed 
apparatus  for  maintaining  an  uniform  level  had  been  faith- 
fully performing  its  duty. 

These  facts  ascertained,  von  Schalckenberg  cast  his 
glance  over  the  scene  spread  out  beneath  him,  in  order 
to  ascertain,  if  possible,  his  position.  The  morning  was 
beautifully  clear,  the  atmosphere  being  entirely  destitute 
of  clouds,  and  the  only  obstacle  to  uninterrupted  vision 
was  a  thick  mist  which  overspread  the  earth  outstretched 
below  him  like  an  immense  map.  This,  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent, rendered  prompt  identification  of  the  locality  diffi- 
cult; but  a  lake  of  very  irregular  triangular  shape  was 
immediately  underneath  the  ship,  and  from  s.  round  to 
about  W.S.W.,  at  a  distance  of  about  eight  miles,  extended 
a  range  of  hills  which,  from  their  height,  the  professor 
easily  identified  as  Macgillicuddy's  Reeks,  the  lake  below 


AN  EXTENSIVE  PROSPECT.  Ill 

being  Killarney.  Other  hills  towered  up  out  of  the  mist 
all  round  the  ship,  and,  at  a  distance  of  some  twenty  miles 
straight  ahead,  appeared  the  Stack  Mountains.  Towns, 
villages,  farm  buildings,  and  solitary  cabins  were  dotted 
about  all  over  the  country,  and  beyond  all,  from  s.s.E. 
round  by  s.  and  w.  to  N.,  could  be  seen  tlie  blue  sea,  dotted 
here  and  there  with  the  brown  sails  of  the  fishing  craft  or 
the  scarcely  whiter  canvas  of  the  coasters. 

Satisfied  that  all  was  right,  the  professor  returned  to 
the  pilot-house,  and,  closing  the  doors  to  exclude  the  in- 
tense cold  of  the  higher  atmospheric  region,  perfected  the 
vacuum  in  the  air  chambers,  causing  the  ship  to  imme- 
diately soar  aloft  to  the  enormous  height  of  thirty-five 
thousand  feet;  having  done  which  he  made  his  way  below 
again  and  plunged  into  his  bath. 

On  meeting  his  companions  at  the  breakfast-table,  von 
Schalckenberg  informed  them  of  the  position  and  elevation 
of  the  ship,  and  they  at  once  expressed  an  ardent  desire 
to  go  out  on  deck  immediately  after  breakfast  to  view 
the  magnificent  prospect  spread  out  around  and  beneath 
them. 

"  You  will  have  to  put  on  your  diving  suits  then,  gentle- 
men," remarked  the  scientist,  "for  you  would  find  it  quite 
impossible  to  breathe  in  the  extremely  rarefied  atmosphere 
which  now  supports  us;  moreover,  it  is  so  intensely  cold 
that,  unless  exceedingly  well  protected,  you  would  soon 
freeze  to  death.  But  I  quite  agree  with  you  that  the 
prospect,  embracing  as  it  does  a  circle  of — let  me  see," 
and  he  made  a  hasty  calculation  on  the  back  of  an  en- 
velope— "yes,  a  circle  of  very  nearly  four  hundred  and 
sixty  miles  in  diameter,  must  be  well  worth  looking  at." 

Accordingly,  on  the  completion  of  the  meal,  the  quar- 


112  A   NOVEL   SPECTACLE. 

tette  descended  to  the  diving-room,  and  there  donned  their 
armour,  taking  the  additional  precaution  of  adding  a 
flannel  overall  to  their  ordinary  inner  diving  dress.  Thus 
equipped,  they  made  their  way  to  the  pilot-house,  care- 
fully closing  all  doors  behind  them  on  the  way,  and  sallied 
out  on  deck. 

The  spectacle  which  then  met  their  gaze  was  novel  be- 
yond all  power  of  description,  and  can  only  be  feebly  sug- 
gested. The  sky  overhead  was  of  an  intense  ultramarine 
hue,  approaching  in  depth  to  indigo,  gradually  changing, 
as  the  eye  travelled  downward  from  the  zenith  toward 
the  horizon,  to  a  pallid  colourless  hue.  The  stars — ex- 
cepting those  near  the  horizon — were  almost  as  distinctly 
visible  as  at  midnight;  whilst  the  sun,  shorn  of  his  rays, 
hung  in  the  sky  like  a  great  ball  of  molten  copper;  the 
moon  also,  reduced  to  a  thin  silver  thread-like  crescent, 
had  followed  the  sun  into  the  sky,  and  hung  a  few  de- 
grees only  above  the  eastern  horizon. 

So  lost  in  wonder  were  the  travellers  at  this  most  ex- 
traordinary sight  that  it  was  several  minutes  before  they 
could  withdraw  their  gaze  from  the  heavens  and  allow  it 
to  travel  earthward.  When  at  length  they  did  so  a  scarcely 
less  enchanting  spectacle  greeted  them.  They  were  hover- 
ing just  over  the  inner  extremity  of  an.  arm  of  the  sea, 
which  the  colonel — who  was  well  acquainted  with  the 
south-west  of  Ireland — at  once  identified  as  Dingle  Bay. 
Westward  of  them  stretched  the  broad  Atlantic,  its  foam- 
flecked  waters  tinted  a  lovely  sea-green  immediately  be- 
low them,  which  gradually  changed  to  a  delicate  sapphire 
blue  as  it  stretched  away  toward  the  invisible  horizon 
(the  atmosphere  not  proving  sufficiently  clear  to  allow  of 
their  seeing  to  the  utmost  possible  limits  of  distance),  the 


A  bird's-eye  view.  113 

colour  growing  gradually  fainter  and  more  faint  until  it 
became  lost  in  a  soft  silvery  gray  mist.  Northward  lay 
the  Dingle  peninsula,  and  beyond  it  again  could  be  seen 
Tralee  Bay,  the  mouth  of  the  Shannon,  and  Loop  Head; 
then  Gal  way  Bay  and  the  Isles  of  Arran,  and,  further  on, 
just  discernible  in  the  misty  distance,  the  indented  shore 
and  hills  of  Connemara.  From  thence,  all  round  to  the 
eastern  point  of  the  compass,  could  be  seen,  with  more  or 
less  distinctness,  the  whole  of  county  Clare,  with  part  of 
county  Galway,  the  Doon  Mountains,  and  a  considerable 
portion  of  Tipperary;  the  Galtee  and  Knockmeledown 
Mountains,  and,  in  the  extreme  distance,  a  faint  misty 
blue,  which  the  colonel  declared  was  the  sea  just  about 
Dungarvan  harbour.  And  from  thence,  round  to  the 
southward,  the  sea  and  the  southern  coast-line  became 
more  and  more  distinctly  visible  as  the  eye  travelled 
round  the  compass,  Cork  Harbour  being  just  discernible, 
whilst  Cape  Clear  Island,  Bantry  Bay,  and  the  Kenmare 
river  seemed  little  more  than  a  stone's  -  throw  distant. 
Altogether  it  was  perhaps  the  most  magnificent  prospect 
upon  which  the  human  eye  had  ever  rested;  it  certainly 
exceeded  anything  which  the  travellers  had  ever  witnessed 
before,  and  their  expressions  of  admiration  and  delight 
were  unbounded. 

When  at  last  they  had  become  somewhat  accustomed 
to  even  this  unique  experience,  and  had  found  leisure  to 
take  note  of  themselves,  as  it  were,  the  baronet  remarked 
to  the  professor: 

"  But  how  is  this,  professor?  The  engines  are  working, 
yet  we  do  not  appear  to  be  making  any  headway.  So 
far  as  I  can  judge  we  seem  to  be  simply  drifting  bodily 
to  the  westward  and  more  toward  the  open  sea." 

(359)  H 


114  THE  ADVERSE  AIR  CURRENT. 

"It  is  so/'  answered  the  professor.  "We  have  risen 
above  the  range  of  the  variable  winds,  and  are  now  feel- 
ing the  influence  of  an  adverse  air  current,  which,  in  this 
latitude,  invariably  blows  from  the  northward;  and  if  we 
were  to  maintain  our  present  altitude,  for  which,  however, 
there  is  not  the  slightest  necessity,  we  should  have  to 
struggle  against  it  for  the  next  eight  or  nine  hundred 
miles,  in  fact  until  we  reach  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Arctic  circle.  There,  or  thereabout,  we  should  again  have 
a  fair  wind,  of  which  we  may  possibly  yet  be  glad  to  avail 
ourselves.  In  the  meantime,  however,  we  will  increase 
our  speed,  if  you  please — at  all  events,  until  we  are  clear 
of  the  land,  when  we  can  once  more  descend  into  a 
favourable  current.  And  as,  until  then,  our  rate  of 
travelling  will  be  such  as  to  make  it  difficult,  if  not  im- 
possible, to  maintain  our  footing  on  the  deck,  I  would 
suggest  the  advisability  of  a  retreat  to  the  pilot-house." 

This  suggestion  having  been  promptly  carried  out,  the 
speed  of  the  ship  was  increased  to  its  utmost  limit,  where- 
by the  rate  of  progression  over  the  ground  was  raised 
from  nothing  to  about  one  hundred  and  eight  miles  per 
hour.  This  rate  of  travelling — the  adverse  wind  for- 
tunately remaining  moderate  —  enabled  them  to  reach 
Erris  Head,  the  north-western  corner  of  county  Mayo,  in 
an  hour  and  a  half,  or  about  eleven  o'clock  A.M.,  at  which 
hour  they  found  themselves  just  running  clear  of  the 
land,  with  the  bay  and  county  of  Donegal  on  their  right 
hand,  and  the  broad  expanse  of  the  North  Atlantic  ahead. 

At  this  point  the  professor  turned  to  his  companions 
and  said: 

"  It  now  becomes  necessary  that  we  should  come  to  a 
definite  decision  as  to  the  course  to  be  steered.   All  routes 


ALTERNATIVE   ROUTES.  115 

are  of  course  equally  open  to  us;  but  there  are  two  which 
especially  commend  themselves  to  our  preference.  One 
is  the  direct  northerly  route  to  the  Pole,  which  will  take 
us  to  the  eastward  of  Iceland,  straight  to  the  island  of 
Jan  Mayen,  and  thence,  between  Greenland  and  Spitz- 
bergen,  into  an  icy  sea  which  has  been  but  little  explored. 
And  the  other  is  the  usual  route  taken  by  nearly  all  the 
great  Arctic  explorers,  namely,  up  Davis  Strait,  through 
BafEn's  Bay,  and  thence,  by  way  of  Smith  Sound  and 
Kennedy  Channel,  into  the  open  Polar  Sea,  if  such  should 
actually  exist.  By  the  one  route  we  shall  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  surveying  the  eastern  coast  of  Greenland,  and 
thus  accurately  determining  much  that  is  at  present  mere 
matter  of  conjecture;  and  by  the  other  we  shall  have  an 
opportunity  of  beholding  with  our  own  eyes  many  spots 
of  interest  associated  with  the  researches  of  former  ex- 
plorers.    Now,  which  is  it  to  be?" 

•  The  colonel  and  Mildmay  naturally  glanced  at  Sir 
Reginald,  as  an  intimation  that  he,  in  his  character  of 
founder  of  the  expedition,  was  entitled  to  the  first  ex- 
pression of  opinion;  and,  thus  appealed  to,  the  baronet, 
after  a  short  pause  for  reflection,  replied: 

"  Well,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  if  I  have  a  preference 
at  all,  I  think  I  am  inclined  to  favour  the  Baffin's  Bay 
route.  I  confess  I  should  like  to  go  over  the  ground 
traversed  so  painfully  by  former  explorers,  and  see  for 
myself  the  nature  of  the  obstacles  with  which  they  have 
had  to  grapple.  And  I  should  also  like  to  look  with  my 
bodily  eyes  upon  the  spots  where  they  sought  refuge 
during  the  rigours  of  the  Arctic  winter,  and  those  other 
spots  where,  the  forces  of  nature  finally  proving  too  great 
for  them,  they  were  reluctantly  compelled   to  abandon 


116  NORTHWARD   HO! 

further  effort,  and,  confessing  themselves  beaten,  turn 
their  faces  once  more  southward.  But  if  either  of  you 
happens  to  have  a  preference  for  another  route,  I  beg  that 
you  will  say  so,  uninfluenced  by  my  remarks." 

The  colonel  and  Mildmay  now  looked  at  each  other 
interrogatively;  and  at  length  the  latter  said: 

"  My  predilections  are  naturally  in  favour  of  the  route 
proposed  by  Sir  Reginald,  that  being  the  one  followed  by 
so  many  of  my  distinguished  predecessors  in  the  service. 
But  what  says  the  professor?  Which  route  does  he,  as  a 
scientist,  think  would  be  the  most  interesting?" 

"Exactly;  that,  it  seems  to  me,  is  the  point  of  view 
from  which  we  ought  to  regard  the  question,"  exclaimed 
the  baronet  and  the  colonel  in  a  breath. 

"  From  a  purely  scientific  point  of  view  they  would 
probably  prove  equally  interesting,"  answered  the  pro- 
fessor. "But,  taking  the  other  circumstances  into  con- 
sideration, I  am  inclined  to  record  my  vote  in  favour  of 
Sir  Reginald's  suggestion." 

"Then  let  that  decide  it,"  remarked  the  colonel;  "I  am 
sure  we  shall  have  no  cause  to  regret  the  choice." 

The  Baffin's  Bay  route  was  accordingly  agreed  upon; 
and  the  ship's  head  was  forthwith  laid  in  a  west-north- 
westerly direction  for  Cape  Farewell. 

For  the  next  hour  the  ship's  altitude  above  the  sea- 
level  was  maintained  unaltered;  but  at  noon,  the  ocean 
proving  clear  of  ships  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  a 
descent  was  made  to  within  one  thousand  feet  of  the  sea, 
at  which  height  a  favourable  breeze  and  a  clear  atmo- 
sphere was  again  met  with.  On  returning  to  the  pilot- 
house after  luncheon,  or  about  half-past  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  three  icebergs  were  discovered,  two  ahead 


ICEBERGS   IN   SIGHT.  117 

and  one  astern;  but  they  were  very  small,  and  it  was 
therefore  deemed  hardly  worth  while  to  pause  and 
examine  them.  At  the  same  time  a  large  steamer  was 
observed,  steering  east,  on  the  extreme  verge  of  the 
southern  horizon;  and  by  the  aid  of  their  very  powerful 
telescopes  the  travellers  were  able  to  identify  her  as  one 
of  the  Atlantic  liners.  Half  an  hour  later  a  sail  was 
discovered  on  the  starboard  bow;  and,  from  the  fact  that 
she  was  heading  to  the  northward  under  easy  canvas, 
they  rightly  concluded  that  she  was  a  whaler.  They 
passed  this  vessel  within  a  distance  of  a  dozen  miles,  and 
at  this  point  were  able  to  so  minutely  examine  her  with 
their  telescopes  that  they  could  distinctly  make  out  the 
figure  of  a  man  perched  aloft  in  the  "crow's  nest''  on  the 
look-out,  as  well  as  the  figures  of  her  crew  moving  about 
the  deck;  but,  although  within  such  comparatively  close 
proximity  to  her,  they  were  quite  unable  to  detect  any 
sign  of  their  being  observed,  which  the  professor  attri- 
buted to  the  almost  total  absence  of  colour  about  the 
hull;  indeed,  he  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that,  unless  the 
rays  of  the  sun  happened  to  be  reflected  from  the  polished 
surface  of  the  sethereum  directly  toward  an  observer,  the 
Flying  Fish  might  easily  pass  within  half  a  dozen  miles 
unnoticed. 

Before  this  whaler  had  been  left  out  of  sight  astern 
other  icebergs  had  risen  into  view  above  the  western 
horizon,  and  within  half  an  hour  they  found  themselves 
flying  above  a  sea  thickly  dotted  with  ice  in  every 
direction,  showing  that  they  were  rapidly  nearing  the 
entrance  to  Davis  Straits.  At  six  o'clock  the  sound  of 
the  gong  summoned  them  below  to  dinner;  and  just  as 
they  were  on  the  point  of  leaving  the  pilot-house,  Mild- 


118  CAPE   FAREWELL. 

may,  who,  with  the  instinct  of  the  seaman,  had  paused 
to  take  a  last  look  round,  sighted  a  faint  blue  cloud-like 
appearance  on  the  horizon,  about  a  point  on  the  starboard 
bow,  and  raised  a  joyful  shout  of: 

"Land,  ho!" 

The  professor  glanced  at  the  clock,  and,  muttering  to 
himself,  "Yes,  it  is  about  the  right  time,"  took  his 
telescope  and  carefully  examined  the  distant  cloud-like 
appearance. 

"  You  are  right,  Mildmay,"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  closed 
the  instrument,  "that  is  the  land;  it  is  Cape  Farewell,  the 
most  southerly  point  of  that  great  terra  incognita, 
Greenland.  With  your  permission.  Sir  Eeginald,  I  will 
reduce  the  speed  of  the  ship  to  about  twenty  miles  per 
hour,  and  slightly  alter  her  course;  and,  from  the  look  of 
the  weather,  I  think  I  may  promise  that,  when  we  go  on 
deck  to  smoke  our  cigars  after  dinner,  you  will  see  a 
sight  well  worth  looking  at." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


A   SUPERB   SPECTACLE. 


PON  one  pretext  or  another  the  professor  pur- 
posely delayed  the  rising  of  the  party  from  the 
table  until  nine  o'clock;  and  when  they  at 
length  reached  the  deck  they  found  the  somewhat  rash 
promise  made  by  von  Schalckenberg  abundantly  fulfilled. 
A  scene  of  surpassing  loveliness  met  their  delighted 
gaze,  and,  to  enjoy  it  more  fully  and  completely,  it  was 
promptly  decided  to  descend  to  the  ocean's  surface.  The 
sea  on  all  sides  was  thickly  covered  with  detached  masses 
of  floating  ice,  from  the  diminutive  fragment  of  drift-ice, 
measuring  not  more  than  two  or  three  square  yards  in 
area,  to  gigantic  bergs,  measuring,  in  one  or  two  instances, 
from  a  half  to  three  quarters  of  a  mile  long,  and  towering 
from  two  to  three  hundred  feet  above  the  surface  of  the 
water.  The  sun  was  nearing  the  horizon,  and,  with  his 
golden  beams  falling  full  upon  them,  these  huge  masses 
of  ice  glittered  against  the  rosy  gray  of  the  horizon  like 
burnished  metal  or  solid  flame.  Two  of  these  bergs  in 
particular  were  the  objects  of  the  travellers'  especial 
wonder  and  admiration.  One,  at  a  distance  of  some  six 
miles  to  the  eastward,  resembled  an  island  of  crystal 


120  A   COUPLE   OF  ARCTIC   GEMS. 

capped  with  an  assemblage  of  marble  ruins.  Its  perpen- 
dicular sides  were  rent  here  and  there  with  deep  fissures, 
and  in  the  centre  there  yawned  an  immense  cavern,  the 
interior  of  which  displayed  every  conceivable  shade  of 
the  most  lovely  green,  from  the  transparent  tint  of  the 
emerald  to  the  opaque  colour  of  the  malachite,  a  project- 
ing bluff  near  at  hand  casting  a  strangely- contrasting 
shadow  of  the  deepest,  purest  ultramarine.  The  ruined 
pinnacles  on  the  summit  of  the  berg  gleamed  with  every 
tint  of  the  rainbow,  from  palest  yellow,  through  orange 
and  crimson,  to  a  blue  varying  from  the  most  delicate 
cobalt  to  a  deep  violet,  almost  undistinguishable  from 
black.  And,  to  complete  the  fairy-like  beauty  of  the 
picture,  the  body  of  the  berg,  a  pure  marble-like  white  in 
the  centre,  gradually  assumed  a  translucent  appearance 
toward  the  edges,  in  which  the  rays  of  the  sun  gleamed 
and  sparkled  so  brilliantly  that  the  mass  resembled 
nothing  so  much  as  a  gigantic  opal. 

The  other  large  berg,  which  in  the  first  instance  was 
only  remarkable  for  its  enormous  sis^e,  lay  on  the  western 
horizon  at  a  distance  of  some  eleven  miles,  and,  when  the 
travellers  first  directed  their  gaze  upon  it,  presented  the 
appearance  of  a  vast  mass  of  a  uniform  very  pale  tint 
of  opaque  blue  rising  above  the  rosy  waters.  But  as  they 
looked  upon  it  the  setting  sun  drew  round  toward  its  rear, 
and  then  the  pale  blue  opaque  tint  gradually  quickened 
into  translucency  and  quivered  here  and  there  with  sud- 
den golden  and  roseate  gleams  of  indescribable  beauty. 
As  the  sun  neared  the  berg  these  gleams  and  flashes  deep- 
ened in  tint  and  became  mino^led  in  the  most  bewildering' 
and  delightful  manner  with  rays  of  rich  sea-green,  warm 
violet,  and  delicate  purple.   Finally  the  sun,  just  skimming 


A   VISION   OF  BEAUTY.  121 

the  edge  of  the  horizon,  passed  behind  the  berg,  when  it 
at  once  flamed  out  into  a  dazzling  blinding  blaze,  as  though 
the  berg  had  taken  fire.  For  a  space  of  perhaps  half  a 
minute  this  dazzling  spectacle  continued  with  scarcely 
diminished  brilliancy;  then  the  blaze  deepened  from  gold 
to  crimson,  momentarily  subsiding  in  intensity  and  in- 
creasing in  depth  of  colour  until  it  stood  out  against  the 
horizon  an  immense  mass  of  blood -red  hue.  The  red 
deepened  into  purple,  the  purple  into  violet,  and  at  last, 
probably  when  the  sun  had  entirely  sunk  beneath  the 
horizon,  the  violet  faded  gradually  to  a  pale  cold  lifeless 
gray. 

"Superb!" 

"Magnificent!" 

"Delightful!" 

"  Beautiful  as  a  dream ! " 

Such  were  the  exclamations  which  burst  from  the  lips 
of  the  travellers  as  they  turned  away  with  a  sigh  at  the 
transitory  nature  of  the  beauties  they  had  just  been  wit- 
nessing, when  lo!  the  scene  to  the  eastward  had  donned 
new  glories.  The  sun  had  vanished  below  the  horizon, 
and  the  lower  portions  of  the  bergs  were  therefore  in  cold 
blue  shadow;  but  as  the  glance  travelled  upwards  the 
blue  became  merged  by  imperceptible  degrees  into  a  deli- 
cate amethystine  tint,  which,  growing  gradually  warmer 
and  more  ruddy,  passed  by  a  thousand  gradations  through 
the  richest  rose  and  orange  tints  to  the  purest  golden- 
yellow,  out  of  which  the  projecting  points  and  pinnacles 
of  ice  flashed  and  sparkled  like  living  flame.  This  fairy- 
like spectacle  lasted  for  a  short  time  only,  however;  the 
golden  flashes  vanished  one  by  one;  the  yellow  became 
orange,  the  orange  deepened  into  crimson,  and  the  crim- 


122  NIGHTFALL  AT   SEA. 

son  in  its  turn  slowly  merged  into  a  cold  cobalt  blue  as 
the  light  died  out  of  the  western  sky;  and  finally  the 
stars  came  out  one  by  one  until  the  entire  firmament 
was  thickly  studded  with  them.  It  was  "nightfall  on 
the  sea." 

Enthralled  by  the  surpassing  witchery  of  the  scene, 
some  time  elapsed  before  either  of  the  travellers  cared  to 
break  the  silence.  At  length,  however,  the  baronet  turned 
to  the  professor  and  said: 

"  I  owe  you  a  debt  of  never-dying  gratitude,  professor, 
for  having  been  the  means  of  introducing  me  to  a  scene 
of  such  indescribable  beauty  as  that  which  we  have  just 
witnessed;  I  have  looked  upon  many  a  fair  scene  during 
the  course  of  my  wanderings,  but  never  upon  anything 
to  equal  this.  We  must  have  been  exceptionally  fortunate 
to-night,  have  we  not?  for  surely  the  Polar  world  can 
have  no  spectacle  more  enchanting  than  the  one  which 
we  have  just  witnessed?" 

*' We  have  been  fortunate;  there  is  no  doubt  about  that," 
was  the  reply.  "  But  you  have  not  yet  seen  the  midnight 
sun  nor  the  aurora  borealis,  both  of  which  sights  far  ex- 
ceed in  beauty  what  we  have  looked  upon  to-night.  But 
it  grows  chilly  and  an  insidious  fog  is  gathering  round 
us;  we  must  take  measures  for  passing  the  night  in  safety, 
for,  were  we  by  chance  to  be  caught  between  two  ice- 
bergs of  even  ordinary  size,  not  even  the  enormous 
strength  of  the  Flying  Fish  would  save  her  from  de- 
struction." 

"And  what  do  you  propose  to  do,  then,  professor,  in 
order  to  ensure  our  safety?" 

"  There  are  two  courses  open  to  us.  One  is  to  sink  to 
the  bottom  of  the   sea,  which   is  here  deep  enough  to 


WHAT   IS   THE   "CALM   BELT?"  123 

secure  us  from  all  danger  of  being  struck  by  floating 
bergs.  And  the  other  is  to  ascend  into  the  calm  belt, 
where  the  night  can  be  passed  in  a  state  of  absolute 
safety." 

"Very  well,  then;  let  us  ascend  into  the  'calm  belt,' 
by  all  means,"  said  the  baronet.  "And,  by  the  way,  I 
should  feel  extremely  obliged  if  you  would  kindly  ex- 
plain to  us  what  the  'calm  belt'  is;  I  for  one  never  heard 
of  it  before." 

"I  will  do  so  with  pleasure,"  replied  the  professor. 
"You  must  know,  then,  in  the  first  place,  that  there  are 
certain  atmospheric  currents  as  regular  and  precise  in 
their  action  as  those  of  the  ocean,  both  being  created  by 
the  same  cause — namely,  the  tendency  of  a  warm  fluid 
to  rise  and  of  a  colder  one  to  flow  into  the  vacated  space. 
Thus  the  air  on  the  equator,  being  heated  by  the  vertical 
rays  of  the  sun,  rises,  creating  a  partial  vacuum  which 
the  cold  air  from  the  poles  rushes  equator- ward  to  fill, 
the  warm  air  moving  toward  the  poles  to  restore  the 
balance.  Thus  at  a  few  degrees  north  of  the  equator  the 
upper  stratum  of  air  will  always  be  found  to  be  travel- 
ling northward.  And  it  continues  so  to  do  until  it  reaches 
the  vicinity  of  the  thirtieth  parallel  of  latitude,  when,  hav- 
ing lost  most  of  its  heat  by  constant  exposure  to  open 
space,  it  becomes  cold  enough  to  descend,  taking  the  place 
of  the  polar  current,  which  meanwhile  has  been  warmed 
by  passing  over  the  temperate  zone.  The  equatorial  cur- 
rent, though  it  has  descended  to  the  surface  of  the  earth, 
still  makes  its  gradual  way  northward,  as  well  as  local 
circumstances  will  permit,  in  order  to  replace  the  south- 
ward-flying polar  current;  and  by  the  time  that  it 
reaches  the  Arctic  circle,  it  has  again,  by  contact  with 


124  A  SAFE  PLACE  OF  REFUGE. 

the  earth,  become  the  warmer  of  the  two  currents,  when 
it  once  more  rises  into  the  upper  regions  of  the  atmo- 
sphere, to  descend  no  more  until  it  reaches  the  vicinity 
of  the  pole,  when  it  sinks,  and  at  the  same  time  turns 
southward  as  the  polar  current.  And  the  same  thing 
happens  in  the  southern  hemisphere.  Thus  in  each  hemi- 
sphere we  have  two  great  atmospheric  currents — one 
flowing  from  the  pole  to  the  equator,  and  the  other  flow- 
ing from  the  equator  to  the  pole.  The  lower  current,  or 
that  which  sw^eeps  along  the  surface  of  the  earth,  meets 
with  so  many  disturbing  local  influences  that  it  is  fre- 
quently deflected  greatly  from  its  proper  course,  some- 
times so  much  so  that  its  course  becomes  completely  re- 
versed for  a  time;  but  in  the  upper  regions  of  the  atmo- 
sphere these  disturbing  influences  are  very  little  if  at  all 
felt.  Now,  if  I  have  succeeded  in  making  this  plain  to 
you,  you  will  readily  understand  that  where  the  top  of 
the  lower  current  and  the  bottom  of  the  upper  current 
touch  each  other  there  will  be  so  much  friction  that  a 
neutral  or  'calm  belt'  will  occur  in  which  the  air  will  be 
motionless.  And  it  is  in  this  calm  belt — which  occurs 
between  the  altitudes  of  three  thousand  and  twelve  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  earth's  surface — that  I  propose  we 
should  take  refuge  to-night." 

The  professor's  small  audience  duly  expressed  their 
thanks  for  the  extremely  interesting  lecture  to  which 
they  had  just  been  treated,  and  then  the  party  retreated 
to  the  pilot-house;  the  door  was  closed  to  exclude  the 
cold  air  of  the  upper  regions  which  they  were  about  to 
visit;  and  an  ascent  was  made  to  an  altitude  of  eight 
thousand  feet,  where  the  night  was  passed  in  an  atmo- 
sphere so  completely  motionless  that,  on  their  descent 


IN   THE   MIDST   OF  THE   ICE.  125 

next  morning,  Lieutenant  Mildmay's  observations  showed 
them  to  be  in  the  exact  spot  which  they  had  occupied  ou 
the  previous  evening. 

It  was  decided  over  the  breakfast- table  that  morning, 
that  the  journey  northward  should  be  prosecuted,  as  far 
as  possible,  upon  the  surface  of  the  sea;  and  the  Flying 
Fish  was  accordingly  put  in  motion  on  the  required 
course  immediately  upon  her  descent.  Their  rate  of  pro- 
gress was  particularly  slow,  not  exceeding,  on  the  average, 
a  speed  of  six  miles  per  hour,  as  drift  ice  was  remarkably 
abundant,  mostly  in  small  detached  blocks,  though  they 
occasionally  encountered  a  floe  of  several  acres  in  extent; 
and,  far  away  to  the  northward,  quite  a  large  assemblage 
of  bergs  were  seen.  This  slow  rate  of  progress  would 
have  been  wearisome  to  a  veteran  Arctic  navigator  in 
possession  of  such  means  for  the  accomplishment  of  a 
quick  passage  as  those  enjoyed  by  the  inmates  of  the 
Flying  Fish's  pilot-house;  but  to  them  everything  was 
novel  and  interesting,  and,  almost  before  they  knew  it, 
they  found  themselves  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
bergs.  These  varied  greatly  in  size,  some  of  them  being 
no  larger  than  a  dwelling-house  of  moderate  dimensions, 
whilst  others  fully  equalled,  if,  indeed,  they  did  not  ex- 
ceed, the  proportions  of  the  monsters  seen  on  the  previous 
evening.  They  were  grouped  so  closely  together  that  a 
passage  between  them  seemed  to  be  not  wholly  unat- 
tended with  danger;  and  the  party  were  in  the  act  of 
discussing  the  question  which  channel  it  would  be  most 
prudent  to  take,  their  eyes  being  meanwhile  fixed  on  the 
huge  towering  cliffs  of  ice  before  them,  when  a  gigantic 
overhanging  mass  was  seen  to  detach  itself  from  its  parent 
berg  and  plunge,  a  distance  of  some  two  hundred  and 


126  GOING  TO   PIECES. 

fifty  feet,  with  a  terrific  splash  into  the  water  and  dis- 
appear. The  deep  thunderous  roar  of  its  plunge  smote 
the  ears  of  the  watchers  next  moment,  and  they  looked 
on  with  breathless  interest  to  see  what  would  follow. 
The  mass,  from  its  enormous  size,  would  weigh,  they  con- 
sidered, fully  five  thousand  tons;  and  they  were  not  sur- 
prised to  see  that  the  loss  of  so  much  weight  had  seri- 
ously disturbed  the  balance  of  the  berg,  which  at  once 
began  to  rock  ponderously  to  and  fro,  creating  a  terrific 
commotion  in  the  water  when  conjoined  with  that  caused 
by  the  plunge  into  the  sea  and  the  reappearance  a  second 
or  two  later  of  the  detached  mass.  The  sea  was  seen  to 
heap  itself  up  in  a  long  well-defined  ridge, similar — though, 
of  course,  on  a  tremendously  magnified  scale — to  that 
caused  by  the  plunge  of  a  stone  into  the  water.  This 
ridge  spread  out  in  a  circular  form  all  round  the  spot 
where  the  mass  had  fallen,  and  at  once  began  to  travel 
outward  in  the  form  of  an  immense  breaker  some  six  or 
seven  feet  in  height.  Onward  it  rolled,  its  smooth  glassy 
front  capped  with  a  foaming  crest  presenting  a  singular 
and  somewhat  alarming  spectacle.  The  fears  of  the  be- 
holders, however,  if  they  had  any,  were  groundless,  for, 
though  the  threatening  wave  swept  forward  with  a  velo- 
city of  some  twelve  knots  per  hour,  it  swept  harmlessly 
enough  over  and  along  the  cylindrical  sides  of  the  Flying 
Fish,  hissing  and  roaring  most  ominously,  but  failing  to 
throw  so  much  as  a  single  drop  of  spray  on  her  deck. 
This  wave  was  quickly  followed  by  several  others,  each 
of  which,  however,  was  less  formidable  than  the  preced- 
ing one.  Meanwhile,  the  drama,  it  appeared,  had  only 
begun.  The  oscillation  of  the  parent  berg,  though  it  was 
probably  quite  unafifected  by  the  portion  of  the  circular 


A   SCENE   OF  MAD   COMMOTION.  127 

wave  which  dashed  furiously  against  its  sides,  became 
momentarily  more  and  more  violent,  accompanied  by  a 
rapidly  increasing  agitation  of  the  sea  in  its  neighbour- 
hood, an  agitation  so  great  that  the  surface  of  the  ocean 
soon  assumed  the  appearance  of  a  boiling  cauldron,  the 
foaming  surges  leaping  wildly  hither  and  thither  with  a 
continuous  roar  like  that  of  the  surf  beating  on  a  rocky 
shore,  and  soon  assuming  such  dimensions  that  they  even 
broke  over  the  deck  of  the  Flying  Fish,  and  dashed  them- 
selves into  a  cloud  of  spray  against  the  strong  walls  of 
the  pilot-house.  Other  fragments  now  began  to  detach 
themselves  with  dull  heavy  roaring  crashes  from  the 
rocking  berg;  and,  as  though  the  action  were  contagious — 
or  more  probably,  in  consequence  of  the  jarring  vibration 
of  the  air  from  such  a  strong  volume  of  sound — one  after 
the  other,  the  remaining  bergs  began  to  go  to  pieces. 
Then,  indeed,  the  sight  and  the  accompanying  sounds 
became  truly  awe-inspiring.  The  air  resounded  with  the 
continuous  roar  of  the  dismembering  bergs;  the  eye  grew 
dizzy  and  bewildered  as  it  watched  their  swaying  forms; 
and  the  surface  of  the  ocean  was  momentarily  stirred  into 
a  wilder  frenzy  as  the  surges  swept  madly  hither  and 
thither,  and,  meeting  in  mid-career,  shattered  each  other 
into  a  wild  tempest  of  leaping  foam,  in  the  midst  of  which 
huge  masses  of  ice  were  seen  every  now  and  then  to  be 
tossed  high  into  the  air  as  though  they  had  been  frag- 
ments of  cork.  So  mad  was  the  commotion,  and  so  furi- 
ously were  even  the  larger  masses  of  ice  dashed  to  and 
fro,  that  it  was  deemed  prudent  to  remove  the  Flying  Fish 
out  of  harm's  way;  and  she  was  accordingly  raised  a  few 
fathoms  above  the  surface  of  the  ra^ino-  commotion  which 
leaped  and  roared  around  her.     Scarcely  had  this  been 


128  CHAOS   COMES   AGAIN. 

accomplished — the  whole  of  the  drama  occupying  not 
one-tenth  part  of  the  time  which  it  takes  to  describe  it — 
when  the  largest  of  the  bergs  was  seen  to  roll  completely 
over,  raising  in  the  act  so  awful  a  surge  that  it  visibly 
affected  even  the  immense  masses  of  the  other  bergs, 
which,  in  their  turn,  rolled  slowly  over  one  after  the  other, 
to  the  accompaniment  of  one  long  loud  echoing  roar  of 
rendino^  ice  as  their  dismemberment  thus  became  acceler- 
ated.  The  resulting  ocean  disturbance  was,  as  may  easily 
be  imagined,  appallingly  grand  and  utterly  indescribable; 
and  it  no  doubt  contributed  in  no  inconsiderable  degree 
to  the  total  destruction  of  the  bergs,  which,  once  started, 
continued  to  roll  over  and  over,  every  lurch  causing  a 
further  dismemberment  until  the  fragments  became  so 
small  as  to  be  incapable  of  further  division.  Then  ensued 
comparative  silence,  the  only  sounds  being  those  of  the 
hoarse  roar  of  the  angry  surges  and  the  grinding  crash 
of  ice-blocks  dashed  violently  together.  Gradually  these 
too  subsided;  and,  in  half  an  hour  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  spectacle,  the  ice-strewn  waters  were  again 
rippling  crisply  under  the  influence  of  a  moderate  breeze, 
and  no  sign  remained  to  tell  a  new  arrival  upon  the  scene 
— had  there  been  one — what  an  awful  tempest  of  de- 
struction had  raged  there  so  short  a  time  before. 

Pushing  northward,  the  travellers  sighted  the  coast  of 
Greenland  about  noon ;  the  land  made  being  a  lofty  snow- 
covered  mountain,  the  conical  summit  of  which  gleamed 
like  silver  in  the  brilliant  sunshine.  As  they  neared  the 
coast  the  water  became  more  open;  and  at  length  they 
emerged  into  a  broad  channel  completely  free  of  ice,  up 
which  the  Flying  Fish  was  urged  at  a  trifle  less  than 
half-speed,  or  at  the  rate  of  about  sixty  miles  per  hour. 


THE   MIDNIGHT  SUN.  129 

At  eight  o'clock  that  night  they  crossed,  according  to  their 
"dead  reckoning,"  the  Arctic  circle;  and  midnight  found 
them  abreast  of  Disko  Island,  gazing  with  delighted  eyes 
upon  the  glorious  spectacle  of  the  midnight  sun,  the  lower 
edge  of  his  ruddy  disc  just  skimming  the  northern  hori- 
zon. 

At  this  point  the  channel  between  the  Greenland  coast 
and  the  pack-ice  narrowed  very  considerably;  and  their 
rate  of  progress  northward  next  day  was  reduced  to  a 
speed  of  between  two  and  three  miles  per  hour;  the 
engines  needing  to  be  just  started,  and  then  stopped  again 
for  a  few  minutes  in  order  to  keep  the  speed  down  to 
this  very  low  limit.  But  they  were  all  as  yet  so  new  to 
Arctic  scenery — everything  was  so  entirely  novel  to  them 
— that  even  this  snail's  pace  failed  to  prove  wearisome, 
especially  as  the  weather  continued  gloriously  fine. 

Strange  to  say,  up  to  this  time  they  had  not  set  eyes 
on  a  single  Arctic  animal;  but  now,  as  they  were  busily 
threading  their  w^ay  through  a  narrow  channel  in  the  ice, 
a  white  bear  was  seen  about  half  a  mile  ahead  rapidly 
making  his  way  across  the  pack  toward  them,  whilst,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  nearer,  an  animal  which  they  at  once 
took  for  a  seal  was  seen  basking  in  the  sun  on  the  ice 
close  to  the  water.  It  speedily  became  evident  that  the 
bear  was  after  the  seal,  which,  seemingly  all  unconscious 
of  the  proximity  of  its  enemy,  raised  its  head  now  and 
then  as  though  in  keen  enjoyment  of  the  warm  glow. 
The  colonel  hurried  below  for  rifles,  as  eager  as  a  school- 
boy, to  obtain  a  shot  at  one  or  both  of  the  animals;  and 
when  he  returned  to  the  pilot-house  with  the  weapons 
both  the  seal  and  the  bear  were  within  range.  He  raised 
one  of  the  rifles  to  his  shoulder,  and  was  covering  the  seal 

(359^  I 


130  SOMETHING   NEW   IN   ZOOLOGY. 

with  it,  when  Sir  Eeginald,  who  was  watching  the  animals 
through  a  telescope,  said: 

"Do  not  fire,  Lethbridge;  there  is  something  very 
curious  about  this;  that  seal  is  armed  with  a  how!' 

The  colonel  stared  incredulously  at  his  companion,  and 
then,  dropping  the  rifle,  took  and  applied  to  his  eye  the 
telescope  which  Sir  Reginald  handed  to  him. 

''By  George,  you  are  right!"  he  exclaimed.  "What  a 
very  extraordinary  thing.  Why,"  he  continued,  "  it  is  not 
a  seal  at  all,  it  is  a  man,  an  Esquimaux.  Now,  look  out 
and  you  will  see  some  sport;  the  fellow  is  fitting  an  arrow 
to  his  string,  and  how  cautiously  he  is  doing  it,  too.  It 
is  my  belief  that  he  has  got  himself  up  as  a  seal  and  has 
been  simulating  the  actions  of  the  animal  in  order  to 
entice  that  deluded  bear  within  range.  There!  he  has 
shot  his  arrow  and  hit  the  mark,  but  the  bear  does  not 
seem  to  be  very  much  the  worse.  Aha!  now  you  have  to 
run  for  it,  my  good  fellow.  By  Jove,  the  matter  grows 
exciting!" 

The  Esquimaux  had  indeed  been  compelled  to  "  run  for 
it,"  the  only  apparent  efiect  of  the  arrow  being  to  irritate 
the  bear.  The  man  ran  fairly  well,  although  hampered 
with  an  immense  amount  of  clothing,  but  the  bear  proved 
the  faster  of  the  two.  He  rapidly  gained  upon  the  man, 
and  seemed  about  to  spring  upon  him  when  the  party  in 
the  pilot-house  poured  in  a  general  fusillade  from  their 
rifles.  There  was  just  a  perceptible  click  from  the  locks 
of  the  weapons,  but  neither  fire  nor  smoke  appeared, 
neither  was  there  any  report.  At  that  moment  the  bear 
rose  upon  his  hind-legs  and,  reaching  forward  with  his 
fore-paws,  aimed  a  terrific  blow  at  the  flying  hunter.  The 
man,  who  had  been  intently  watching  his  enemy  all  the 


THE  ESQUIMAUX  AND   THE  BEAR.  131 

while,  nimbly  leaped  aside,  and,  quick  as  thought,  plunged 
a  light  lance  fairly  under  the  creature's  armpit  and  deep 
into  his  body.  The  bear  uttered  a  single  roar  of  pain 
and  baffled  rage,  staggered  a  moment,  and  fell  upon  the 
ice,  dead. 

"Bravo!  very  cleverly  done,  indeed,"  exclaimed  the 
colonel,  apostrophizing  the  distant  Esquimaux;  "  that  was 
a  lucky  stroke  for  you,  my  man.  But,  I  say,  professor, 
what  in  the  world  is  the  matter  with  these  wretched 
rifles?  Every  one  of  them  missed  fire,  and,  so  far  as  we 
are  concerned,  that  unfortunate  Esquimaux  might  have 
been  killed." 

"He  might — yes,  that  is  quite  true,"  answered  the 
professor  with  provoking  composure;  "  but  if  he  had  been 
it  would  have  been  our  fault,  not  that  of  the  rifles;  it 
was  we  who  missed,  not  they.  Every  one  of  them  duly 
discharged  its  bullet,  and  we  simply  missed  our  mark. 
But  had  we — or  rather  had  / — preserved  my  presence  of 
mind,  I  could  still  have  saved  the  man,  for  each  of  these 
weapons  is  a  magazine  rifle,  firing  twenty  shots — a  fact 
which  I  had  forgotten  for  the  moment,  and  which  it  now 
seems  I  have  never  yet  explained  to  you.  Fortunately, 
the  poor  man  has  proved  quite  able  to  take  care  of  himself; 
but  the  shameful  way  in  which  we  all  missed  the  bear, 
and  our  failure  to  fire  again,  is  a  lesson  on  the  folly  of 
using  untried  weapons  in  an  emergency.  We  must 
practise,  gentlemen;  we  must  practise." 

And,  without  troubling  themselves  further  as  to  what 
became  of  the  Esquimaux  and  his  game,  the  deeply 
mortified  party  set  themselves  forthwith  first  to  listen 
to  the  professor  s  explanation  of  the  peculiarities  of  the 
weapons,  and  next,  to  practise  diligently  with  them  for  a 


132  HEMMED   IN    BY   THE   ICE. 

full  hour;  at  the  expiration  of  which,  as  the  rifles  were 
really  a  splendid  arm  and  simple  enough  to  handle  when 
their  action  had  been  clearly  explained,  the  quartette  had 
fully  regained  their  confidence  in  themselves  and  each 
other,  having  done  some  most  excellent  shooting. 

Meanwhile  the  channel  hourly  grew  more  narrow  and 
intricate;  and,  to  add  still  further  to  the  difficulties  of 
the  passage,  the  wind  shifted  round  and  began  to  blow 
freshly  from  the  northward,  bringing  with  it  a  dense 
and  bitterly  cold  fog.  The  travellers  struggled  gallantly 
against  these  adverse  circumstances  as  long  as  any  pro- 
gress northward  was  at  all  possible,  being  desirous  of 
realizing,  as  fully  as  might  be,  for  themselves  the  diffi- 
culties experienced  by  explorers  in  these  high  latitudes; 
but  at  length  they  found  themselves  so  completely 
hemmed  in  by  vast  floes  and  drifting  masses  of  pack-ice 
that  to  prolong  the  struggle  would  only  be  endangering 
the  ship,  and  they  were  reluctantly  compelled  to  own 
themselves  beaten  and  to  rise  into  the  air. 

They  rose  to  a  height  of  five  hundred  feet  above  the  sea- 
level,  and,  at  this  elevation,  found  themselves  entirely 
free  of  the  fog.  So  far  this  was  well,  but  the  dense 
masses  of  heavy  gray  snow-laden  cloud  which  obscured 
the  heavens  above  them,  and  the  threatening  aspect  of  the 
sky  to  windward,  told  them  that  their  holiday  weather 
was,  at  all  events  for  the  present,  gone,  and  that  they 
were  about  to  experience  the  terrors  of  a  polar  gale.  The 
temperature  fell  with  astounding  rapidity;  and  they  were 
compelled  to  beat  a  rapid  retreat  to  their  state-rooms, 
there  to  don  additional  garments.  This  done,  they  sallied 
out  on  deck,  to  find  that  during  the  short  period  of  their 
retirement  a  heavy  snow-storm  had  set  in,  the  air  being 


A  POLAR  GALE.  133 

SO  full  of  the  great  white  blinding  flakes  that,  standing 
abreast  the  pilot-house,  it  was  impossible  to  see  either 
end  of  the  ship.  Floating  in  the  air  as  they  were  it  was, 
of  course,  impossible  for  them  to  estimate  the  strength  of 
the  gale,  the  only  apparent  movement  of  the  atmosphere 
being  that  due  to  their  own  passage  through  it.  Though 
heading  to  the  northward,  with  the  engines  making  a 
sufficient  number  of  revolutions  per  minute  to  propel 
them  through  still  air  at  the  rate  of  thirty  miles  per 
hour,  it  was  quite  on  the  cards  that  the  adverse  wind 
might  be  travelling  at  a  higher  speed  than  this,  in  which 
event  they  would  actually  be  driving  more  or  less  rapidly 
astern,  notwithstanding  their  apparent  forward  motion. 
It  thus  became  necessary  to  post  a  look-out  at  each  end 
of  the  ship,  in  order  to  avoid  all  possibility  of  collision 
with  some  towering  iceberg,  unless  they  chose  to  rise  high 
enough  in  the  air  to  be  clear  of  all  danger;  and  this  they 
were  reluctant  to  do,  as  they  wished  to  experience,  for  at 
least  once  in  their  lives,  all  the  terrors  of  a  polar  gale. 
The  baronet  accordingly  volunteered  to  look  out  forward 
and  the  colonel  to  do  the  same  aft,  and  they  hastened  at 
once  to  their  respective  stations,  Mildmay  and  the  pro- 
fessor superintending  meanwhile  the  engine  levers  and 
other  appliances  controlling  the  motion  of  the  ship.  It 
was  well  for  them  that  these  precautions  were  so  promptly 
taken,  for  the  colonel  had  scarcely  reached  his  post  when, 
through  the  thick  whirling  snow  which  scurried  past  him, 
he  descried  a  huge  white  ghostly  mass  looming  vaguely 
up  in  the  semi-darkness  directly  astern,  and  before  he 
well  had  time  to  make  up  his  mind  that  he  actually  saw 
something,  the  top  of  a  gigantic  berg  revealed  itself  close 
at  hand,  and  his  prompt  warning  cry  was  only  raised  in 


134  A  MIGHTY  FORCE  AT  WORK. 

barely  sufficient  time  to  prevent  the  Flying  Fish  driving 
stern  foremost  into  it,  when  the  loss  of  her  propeller  must 
inevitably  have  resulted.  Mildmay,  however,  whose 
quick  ear  first  caught  the  sound,  promptly  sent  the  engines 
at  full  speed  ahead,  and  the  danger  was  averted. 

Meanwhile,  though  the  snow  whirled  so  thickly  around 
them  and  the  fog  was  so  dense  beneath  that  they  were 
unable  to  see  anything,  they  were  not  allowed  to  remain 
entirely  in  ignorance  of  what  was  happening  in  their  near 
proximity.  The  howling  of  the  bitter  blast  over  the 
frozen  waste  beneath  resounded  in  their  ears  like  the 
diapason  of  some  huge  organ  played  by  giant  fingers,  and 
mingled  with  these  deeper  tones  there  rose  up  to  them  a 
constant  grinding  crunching  sound  with  occasional  rifle- 
like reports,  telling  of  the  tremendous  destruction  going 
on  among  the  ice-floes  beneath. 

Suddenly  the  snow  ceased,  the  fog  was  swept  away 
upon  the  wings  of  the  gale,  and  the  entire  scene  in  all  its 
terrific  grandeur  burst  at  once  upon  their  gaze.  They 
were  hovering  immediately  over  the  spot  where  two 
immense  floes  had  come  into  collision,  and  for  miles  to 
the  right  and  left  of  them  the  contiguous  margins  were 
being  ground  to  pieces  by  the  enormous  pressure,  and  the 
splintered  fragments  heaped  up  one  above  another  in  the 
wildest  confusion,  to  a  height  of  from  fifty  to  eighty  feet 
above  the  surface  of  the  floe.  The  ice,  which  was  about 
fifteen  feet  thick,  crumbled  away  like  fragile  glass,  and 
it  was  only  by  observing  the  manner  in  which  masses 
weighing  hundreds  of  tons  were  wildly  tossed  hither  and 
thither  like  corks  that  even  an  approximate  idea  of  the 
tremendous  power  at  work  could  be  obtained. 

A  mile  ahead  another  grand  sight   presented   itself. 


THE   PLOUGH   OF   THE   ARCTIC   SEAS.  135 

The  northern  and  larger  of  the  two  floes,  acted  strongly 
upon  by  the  gale,  and  opposed  by  the  smaller  floe, 
was  slowly  but  irresistibly  swinging  round,  and  in  its 
sweep  it  had  come  into  contact  with  a  very  large  berg, 
which,  influenced  apparently  by  some  undercurrent,  was 
with  equally  irresistible  force  actually  making  its  way 
to  windward  in  the  teeth  of  the  gale.  The  result  was  a 
scene  of  wild  chaos  and  confusion  and  destruction  com- 
pared with  which  that  upon  which  they  had  just  looked 
was  as  nothing.  The  berg  simply  tore  its  way  through 
the  floe  as  a  plough  does  through  a  furrow,  splitting  up 
the  thick  ice  before  it,  and  tossing  the  huge  fragments 
hither  and  thither  until  its  path  through  the  field  was 
marked  by  a  black  band  of  open  water  churned  into  fleecy 
froth  by  the  breath  of  the  tempest,  and  bordered  on  either 
side  by  an  immense  wall  of  ice-blocks,  each  of  which  con- 
stituted a  small  berg  in  itself. 

The  cold  had  by  this  time  so  increased  in  intensity 
that  the  colonel  and  the  baronet  were  only  too  glad  to 
abandon  their  posts,  now  that  there  was  no  further  neces- 
sity for  maintaining  them,  and  retreat  to  the  friendly 
shelter  of  the  pilot-house,  where  they  lost  no  time  in 
closino-  themselves  in. 


•4oHH^oXo./^iHo>- 


CHAPTEE    IX. 


AN   EXCITING  ADVENTURE   AND   A   RESCUE. 


T  was  at  this  moment  that  Mildmay  caught  a 
momentary  glimpse  of  an  object  far  away  on 
the  northern  horizon,  which  his  practised  eye 
at  once  told  him  was  a  sail  of  some  sort.  He  instantly 
seized  one  of  the  telescopes  suspended  in  the  pilot-house, 
and  brought  the  instrument  to  bear  in  her  direction. 
For  nearly  a  minute  he  was  unsuccessful  in  his  endeavour 
to  find  her;  but  at  length  she  reappeared  from  behind 
an  intervening  berg;  and  it  appeared  to  him  that  she  was 
in  a  situation  of  considerable  peril.  She  was  a  barque, 
under  close-reefed  topsails,  reefed  courses,  fore  topmast 
staysail,  and  mizzen;  and  she  appeared  to  be  embayed 
in  the  bight  of  a  huge  floe,  with  a  whole  fleet  of  bergs  in 
dangerous  proximity  and  apparently  bearing  down  upon 
her.  Perhaps  the  strangest  peculiarity  about  her  was 
that,  notwithstanding  her  perilous  position,  she  was 
dressed  with  flags,  from  her  mast-heads  downward,  as 
though  it  were  a  gala  day  on  board. 

Mildmay 's  anxious  attitude  and  expression  of  face,  to- 
gether with  his  earnest  devotion  to  his  telescope,  soon 
attracted  the  notice  of  the  rest  of  the  party;  and  the 


A  PERILOUS   POSITION.  137 

baronet  asked  him  what  object  it  was  that  so  riveted  his 
attention. 

He  withdrew  his  eyes  for  a  moment  from  the  instru- 
ment, and,  pointing  out  the  vsmall  and  scarcely  distinguish- 
able dark  spot  on  the  horizon,  said: 

"Do  you  see  that  object,  gentlemen?  Well,  that  is  a 
barque  embayed  in  the  ice,  and  evidently  making  a  supreme 
effort  to  free  herself — an  effort  which  to  me,  and  at  this 
distance,  appears  quite  hopeless.  It  is  my  opinion  that, 
unless  the  wind  changes,  or  something  equally  unforeseen 
occurs,  she  will  within  the  next  half  hour  be  smashed 
into  matchwood — unless,  indeed,  we  can  help  her." 

"Help  her?  Of  course  we  can,"  said  the  professor; 
and  without  waiting  for  further  discussion,  he  laid  his 
hand  on  the  engine  lever  and  sent  the  machinery  ahead 
at  nearly  half-speed. 

The  Flying  Fish  darted  forward  like  a  swallow  in  full 
flight;  and  the  professor,  leaving  the  baronet  in  charge 
of  the  engines  and  the  steering-gear,  summoned  Mildmay 
and  the  colonel  to  follow  him.  The  trio  hastened  to  the 
after  part  of  the  deck,  and,  raising  a  trap-door  which  the 
professor  indicated,  withdrew  therefrom  a  thin  pliant 
wire  hawser— made,  like  almost  everything  else  in  the 
ship,  of  aethereum — which,  having  secured  one  end  of  it 
to  a  ring-bolt  in  the  after  extremity  of  the  deck,  they 
coiled  down  in  readiness  for  use  as  a  tow-line. 

"There!"  ejaculated  the  professor  in  a  gratified  tone  of 
voice,  "  we  will  give  her  the  end  of  that  rope;  and  it  shall 
go  hard  with  us,  but  we  will  tow  her  into  some  place  of 
at  least  temporary  safety." 

"  That  is  all  right,"  responded  Mildmay;  "  but  how  are 
we  going  to  get  it  on  board  her?     Its  weight  is  a  mere 


138  AN   UNFORTUNATE  ACCIDENT. 

nothing,  it  is  true,  but  it  is  rather  too  bulky  to  heave  on 
board.  Have  you  nothing  smaller  that  we  can  bend  on 
to  the  eye  of  the  hawser  and  use  as  a  heaving-line?" 

"  Certainly  I  have,"  replied  the  professor.  "  I  had  not 
thought  of  that.  *  Every  man  to  his  trade.'"  And, 
diving  down  the  hatchway,  he  rummaged  about  for  a 
few  minutes  and  finally  reappeared  with  a  small  coil  of 
very  thin  light  pliant  wire  line,  which  Mildmay,  pro- 
nouncing it  to  be  exactly  the  thing,  proceeded  at  once 
to  attach  to  the  eye  of  the  hawser. 

Meanwhile,  the  baronet  had  been  anxiously  watching 
the  barque  through  the  telescope,  and  had  seen  so  much 
to  increase  his  anxiety  for  her  safety  that,  forgetful  of 
the  exposed  situation  of  his  companions,  he  had  gradually 
increased  the  pace  of  the  Flying  Fish  until  he  had  brought 
it  up  to  full  speed.  This,  of  course,  created  so  tremendous 
a  draught  that  not  only  was  it  quite  impossible  for  the 
party  aft  to  make  headway  against  it  and  thus  regain 
the  pilot-house,  but  they  actually  had  to  fling  themselves 
flat  on  the  deck  to  avoid  being  blown  overboard;  and 
even  thus  it  was  only  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  they 
were  able  to  save  themselves. 

And  this,  unfortunately,  was  not  the  worst  of  it.  The 
light  hawser,  acted  upon  by  so  powerful  a  draught,  was 
for  an  instant  slightly  lifted  off  the  deck,  and  that  slight 
lift  did  the  mischief.  The  next  moment  the  coils  went 
streaming  away  astern  one  after  the  other,  and,  almost 
before  those  who  witnessed  the  accident  could  tell  what 
had  happened,  the  propeller  had  been  fouled  and  the 
hawser  snapped  like  a  thread. 

The  powerful  jerk  thus  occasioned  caused  the  baronet 
to  turn  his  head;  and  he  then  saw  in  a  moment  what 


ANCHORED   ON   AN   ICE   FLOE.  139 

mischief  he  had  done.  He,  luckily,  had  presence  of  mind 
enough  to  stop  the  engines  at  once;  the  Flying  Fish's 
course  was  stayed,  and  she  immediately  began  to  drive 
swiftly  astern  in  apparently  a  dead  calm,  but  actually 
swept  along  upon  the  wings  of  the  gale. 

The  professor  at  once  scrambled  to  his  feet,  and,  fol- 
lowed by  his  companions,  hurried  to  the  pilot-house, 
where,  without  wasting  time  in  useless  words,  he  at  once 
set  himself  to  look  out  for  a  suitable  spot  upon  which 
to  alight,  it  being  absolutely  necessary  to  clear  the  pro- 
peller before  again  moving  the  engines,  lest  in  doing  so 
a  complete  break-down  should  result. 

A  favourable  spot  was  at  length  found — but  not  until 
they  had  drifted  completely  out  of  sight  of  the  apparently 
doomed  barque — and  the  Flying  Fish  was  carefully 
lowered  to  the  surface  of  a  large  floe,  her  anchor  being 
first  let  go  in  order  to  "  bring  her  up  "  and  prevent  her 
being  driven  along  by  the  wind  over  the  smooth  surface. 
It  was  a  task  more  difficult  of  accomplishment  than  they 
had  anticipated,  the  anchor  for  some  time  refusing  to 
bite,  but  it  caught  at  last  in  a  crevice,  and  immediately 
on  the  vessel  touching,  the  grip-anchors  were  extended 
and  the  ship  secured. 

No  sooner  was  the  Flying  Fish  fairly  settled  on  the 
ice  than  Mildmay,  who  knew  exactly  what  ought  to  be 
done,  descended  to  the  lower  recesses  of  the  ship,  and, 
opening  the  trap-door  in  her  bottom,  made  his  way  out 
on  the  ice,  dragging  with  him  a  ladder  which  was  always 
kept  in  the  diving-room.  He  soon  reached  the  stern  of 
the  vessel,  and,  rearing  the  ladder  in  a  suitable  position 
against  the  propeller,  nimbly  ran  aloft  and  began  to 
throw    off  the    convolutions    of    the   entangled    hawser. 


140  OFF  ONCE  MORE  TO  THE  RESCUE. 

Twenty  minutes  sufficed,  not  only  to  complete  the  work, 
but  also  to  assure  him  that  no  damage  had  been  done  to 
the  hull  of  the  vessel;  and,  his  three  companions  having 
followed  him  and  removed  the  hawser  to  the  interior  of 
the  vessel,  he  re-entered  the  hull,  secured  the  trap-door 
after  him,  and  ascended  to  the  deck.  He  here  found  Sir 
Reginald  and  the  colonel  busily  engaged  in  adjusting  a 
new  hawser  ready  for  use,  and,  with  his  assistance,  this 
task  was  completed  in  another  five  minutes,  and  the  ship 
was  once  more  ready  for  service. 

As  the  Flying  Fish  was  in  the  act  of  rising  from  off 
the  ice,  Sir  Reginald  asked: 

"  Should  we  not  make  better  speed  by  taking  at  once 
to  the  water,  professor?" 

"  Undoubtedly  we  should,"  was  the  answer.  ''  Such 
a  course  would  also  have  the  additional  advantage  of 
enabling  us  to  immerse  the  hull  to  the  proper  depth  as 
we  go  along,  thus  giving  us  that  hold  upon  the  water 
necessary  to  cope  successfully  with  the  weight  of  a  large 
ship  like  the  one  of  which  we  are  going  in  search.  We 
might,  whilst  floating  in  the  air,  be  able  to  tow  her  out 
of  danger,  but  I  am  a  little  doubtful  on  the  point;  and, 
as  this  is  a  case  in  which  it  will  not  do  to  incur  any  risk 
by  trying  experiments,  we  will  take  to  the  water  as  soon 
as  we  can  discover  a  suitable  channel.  It  appears  to  me 
that  there  is  something  of  the  kind  about  six  miles  ahead 
and  a  little  to  our  right." 

There  certainly  was  a  channel  through  the  ice  at  the 
point  indicated  by  the  professor,  but  w^iether  it  was  a 
true  channel,  or  merely  a  cut  de  sac,  they  were  for  the 
moment  unable  to  decide.  On  nearing  it  to  within  a  mile, 
however,  they  found  it  to  be  the  latter;  but  about  a 


WILL   THEY    BE    IN    TIME?  141 

couple  of  miles  beyond  it  another  streak  of  water  was 
seen  extending,  unbroken,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 
For  this  they  steered,  and  in  a  very  few  minutes  after- 
wards the  Flying  Fish  was  once  more  afloat,  with  her 
water-chambers  full  and  her  air-compresser  working  to 
the  full  extent  of  its  power. 

The  hawser  being  this  time  temporarily  secured  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  render  a  repetition  of  their  late  acci- 
dent impossible,  and  the  entire  party  being,  moreover, 
safely  ensconced  in  the  pilot-house,  there  was  no  hesita- 
tion about  again  pressing  the  ship  forward  at  full  speed, 
the  channel,  luckily,  being  straight  enough  to  allow  of 
this;  and  very  soon  the  group  of  icebergs  in  which  the 
unfortunate  barque  was  entangled  once  more  appeared  in 
view.  Mildmay  was  at  the  helm,  with  the  professor 
standing  by  the  engines;  but  Sir  Reginald  and  the 
colonel  no  sooner  saw  the  bergs  than  they  seized  their 
telescopes  and  began  at  once  to  look  out  for  the  barque. 

At  first  they  could  see  nothing  of  her,  but  presently 
she  glided  into  view  from  behind  an  intervening  berg, 
and  a  single  glance  was  sufficient  to  assure  them  that 
another  five  minutes  would  decide  her  fate.  She  had 
gradually  set  down  into  the  triangular  extremity  of  the 
bight  in  which  she  was  embayed,  so  that  every  tack  she 
made  became  shorter  than  the  one  preceding  it,  and  very 
soon  the  water  space  would  become  so  circumscribed  as 
to  leave  no  room  for  her  to  manoeuvre.  But  this  was  not 
the  worst  feature  of  the  case.  As  desperate  diseases  are 
sometimes  combated  with  desperate  remedies,  so  in  her 
desperate  condition  the  hazardous  and  almost  hopeless 
expedient  of  berthing  her  alongside  one  of  the  edges  of 
the   floe   might    have   been   attempted.      But   this   last 


142  A   DANGEROUS   MANCEUVRE. 

resource  wns  denied  to  the  despairing  seamen,  from  the 
fact  that  two  enormous  bergs,  the  vanguard  of  the  fleet, 
had  already  reached  the  edge  of  the  floe,  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  bay,  to  windward  of  the  entrapped  barque, 
and  were  rapidly  rasping  their  way  down  toward  the 
apex  of  the  triangle  where  the  whaler  was  already  shoot- 
ing into  stays  for  what  must  evidently  be  her  last  tack. 
This  would  be  so  short  that  she  could  scarcely  fail  to 
miss  stays  on  her  next  attempt,  when  she  would  drift 
helplessly  down  into  the  corner  of  the  bight,  and  be 
ground  out  of  existence  by  the  berg  which  first  happened 
to  reach  that  point. 

It  was  at  this  critical  moment  that 'a  cry  of  dismay 
arose  simultaneously  from  the  lips  of  the  party  in  the 
Flying  FisJis  pilot-house.  A  slight  turn  in  the  channel 
had  revealed  to  them  the  appalling  fact  that  it,  also,  ter- 
minated in  a  cul  de  sac,  a  neck  of  solid  ice,  some  fifty 
yards  in  width,  dividing  it  from  the  open  water  in  which 
the  barque  was  still  battling  for  her  life. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  There  was  no  time  to  discuss 
the  question;  but  a  happy  inspiration  flashed  through  the 
baronet's  brain. 

"  We  must  leap  the  barrier!"  he  exclaimed. 

"  Right!  I  understand,"  was  the  professor's  brief  reply; 
and,  turning  the  compressed  air  into  the  water-chambers, 
he  forced  out  the  water  and  succeeded  in  raising  the 
sharp  nose  of  the  Flying  Fish  just  above  the  level  of  the 
floe  a  single  instant  before  she  reached  it. 

It  was  a  tremendous  risk  to  run — one  which  would 
never  have  been  thought  of  in  cold  blood,  as  the  ship  was 
rushing  forward  at  full  speed,  and  there  was  no  knowing 
what  might  happen;   but  the  sympathies  of  the  party 


LEAPING  THE  BARRIER.  143 

were  now  so  fully  aroused  by  the  awful  peril  of  the 
barque — which,  in  the  midst  of  all  her  danger,  was  still 
gaily  dressed  in  flags — that  they  never  paused  to  think 
of  the  possible  consequences,  but  sent  the  ship  at  the 
barrier  as  a  huntsman  sends  his  horse  to  a  desperate  leap. 
For  an  infinitesimal  fraction  of  time  the  four  adventurous 
travellers  were  thrilled  with  a  feeling  of  wild  exultation 
as  they  held  their  breath  and  braced  themselves  for  the 
expected  shock.  Then  the  smooth  polished  hull  of  the 
Flying  Fish  met  the  ice,  and,  rising  like  a  hunter  to  the 
leap,  slid  smoothly,  and  without  the  slightest  jar,  up  on 
to  the  surface  of  the  floe,  across  the  narrow  barrier,  and 
into  the  water  beyond. 

"Stop  her!"  shouted  Mildmay,  checking  the  exultant 
cheer  which  rose  to  the  lips  of  his  companions.  "  Sheer 
as  close  alongside  the  barque  as  you  can  go.  Sir  Reginald, 
and  give  me  a  chance  to  get  our  heaving  line  on  board. 
Then,  as  soon  as  I  wave  my  hand,  go  ahead  gently 
until  you  have  brought  a  strain  upon  the  hawser,  when 
you  may  increase  the  speed  to  about  twelve  knots — not 
more,  or  you  will  tear  the  windlass  out  of  the  barque. 
Steer  straight  out  between  those  two  bergs,  and  remem- 
ber that  onoments  are  now  precious." 

With  these  words  the  lieutenant  hurried  out  on  deck 
and  made  his  way  aft,  where  he  at  once  began  to  clear 
away  the  heaving  line  and  make  ready  for  a  cast. 

The  engines  meanwhile  had  been  stopped  in  obedience 
to  Mildmay's  command,  his  companions  intuitively  recog- 
nizing that  he  was  the  man  to  cope  with  the  present  emer- 
gency, and  the  Flying  Fish  answering  the  helm,  which  the 
baronet,  an  experienced  yachtsman,  was  deftly  manipulat- 
ing, shot  cleverly  up  along  the  weather  side  of  the  barque. 


144  ALONGSIDE  THE  BARQUE. 

"Look  out  for  our  line,  lads!"  hailed  Mildmay  to  the 
crew  of  the  vessel,  who  were  gaping  in  open-mouthed 
astonishment  at  the  extraordinary  apparition  which  had 
thus  abruptly  put  in  an  appearance  alongside  them. 

"Ay,  ay,  sir;  heave!"  answered  one  smart  fellow,  who, 
notwithstanding  his  surprise,  still  seemed  to  have  his 
wits  about  him.  Mildmay  hove  the  line  with  all  a  sea- 
man's skill,  and  a  couple  of  bights  settled  down  round 
the  neck  and  shoulders  of  the  expectant  tar. 

"  Haul  in,  and  throw  the  eye  of  the  hawser  over  your 
windlass  bitts,"  ordered  Mildmay;  "we  will  soon  have  you 
clear  of  your  present  pickle." 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  hailed  the  skipper;  "haul  in  smart 
there,  for'ard,  and  take  a  turn  anywhere;  those  bergs  are 
driving  down  upon  us  mighty  fast." 

With  a  joyous  "hurrah"  at  the  timely  arrival  of  such 
unexpected  assistance,  the  men  roused  the  hawser  on 
board,  threw  the  eye  over  the  bitts,  passed  two  or  three 
turns  of  the  slack  round  the  barrel  of  the  windlass,  and 
adjusted  the  rope  in  a  "fairlead"  with  lightning  rapidity. 
Mildmay,  who  was  intently  watching  their  movements, 
waved  his  hand  as  a  signal  to  the  baronet  the  instant  he 
saw  that  the  hawser  was  properly  fast  on  board  the 
barque,  and  the  Flying  Fish  immediately  began  to  glide 
ahead.  The  baronet  was  evidently  bent  on  retrieving  his 
character  and  making  up  for  his  past  carelessness,  for  he 
handled  his  strangely- shaped  vessel  with  most  consum- 
mate skill,  bringing  the  strain  upon  the  hawser  very 
gradually,  and,  when  he  had  done  so,  coaxing  the  barque's 
head  round  until  her  nose  and  that  of  the  Flying  Fish 
pointed  straight  toward  the  rapidly  narrowing  passage 
between  the  bergs.     Then,  indeed,  the  thin  but  tough 


'*INTO   THE   JAWS   OF   DEATH."  145 

hawser  straightened  out  taut  as  a  bow-string  between  the 
two  vessels  as  the  baronet  sent  his  engines  powerfully 
ahead;  the  barque's  windlass  bitts  creaked  and  groaned 
with  the  tremendous  strain  to  which  they  were  suddenly 
subjected;  a  foaming  surge  gathered  and  hissed  under 
her  bows,  and  as  her  harassed  crew,  active  as  wild-cats, 
skipped  about  the  decks  busily  letting  go  and  clewing 
up,  away  went  the  two  craft  toward  the  closing  gap. 

It  was  like  steering  into  the  jaws  of  death.  The  two 
bergs  were  by  this  time  within  a  bare  cable's-length  of 
the  Flying  Fish's  conical  stem;  and  as  they  swept 
irresistibly  onward,  their  pinnacled  summits  towering 
five  hundred  feet  into  the  air,  their  rugged  sides  rasping 
horribly  along  the  edges  of  the  floe  with  an  awful  crush- 
ing, grinding  sound,  and  their  contiguous  sides  approach- 
ing each  other  more  and  more  nearly  every  moment, 
there  was  not  a  man  on  either  of  those  two  vessels  who 
did  not  hold  his  breath  and  stand  fascinated  in  awe- 
stricken  suspense,  gazing  upon  those  menacing  walls  of 
ice  and  waiting  for  the  shock  which  should  be  the  herald 
of  their  destruction. 

Rapidly — yet  slower  than  a  snail's  pace,  as  it  seemed 
to  those  anxious  men — the  space  narrowed  between  the 
bergs  and  the  ships;  the  grinding  crash  and  crackle  of  the 
ice  grew  momentarily  more  loud  and  distracting;  the 
freezing  wind  from  the  bergs  cut  their  faces  like  an 
invisible  razor  as  it  swept  down  upon  them  in  sudden 
powerful  gusts,  apparently  intent  upon  retarding  their 
progress  until  the  last  hope  of  escape  should  be  cut  off; 
the  gigantic  icy  clifls  lowered  more  and  more  threateningly 
down  upon  them;  and  at  last,  when  the  feeling  of  doubt 
and  suspense  was  at  its  highest,  the  Flying  Fish  entered 

(359)  ^ 


146  AN   ANXIOUS   MOMENT. 

the  gap.  The  channel  had  by  this  time  become  so  narrow 
that  for  the  Flying  Fish  to  pass  through  it  seemed  utterly 
impossible;  indeed,  it  looked  as  though  there  remained 
scarcely  room  for  the  barque  with  her  much  narrower 
beam;  and  as  the  towering  crystal  walls  closed  in  upon 
them  every  man  present  felt  that  the  final  moment  had 
now  come.  Everything  depended  upon  Sir  Reginald;  if 
at  this  critical  instant  his  nerve  failed  him  there  was 
nothing  but  quick  destruction  and  a  horrible  death  for 
every  man  there.  But  the  baronet's  nerve  did  not  fail 
him.  With  a  face  pale  and  teeth  clenched  with  excite- 
ment, but  with  a  steady  pulse  and  an  unquailing  eye,  he 
stood  with  one  hand  on  the  tiller  and  the  other  on  the 
engine  lever,  guiding  his  ship  exactly  midway  through 
the  narrow  gorge;  and  precisely  at  the  right  moment, 
when  the  Flying  Fish's  sides  were  actually  grazing  the 
ice  on  either  side,  he  increased  the  pressure  of  his  hand 
upon  the  lever,  the  engines  revolved  a  shade  more  ra- 
pidly, and  the  flying  ship  slid  through  the  narrowest  part 
of  the  pass  uninjured,  but  escaping  by  the  merest  hair's- 
breadth. 

But  would  the  barque  also  get  through?  She  was 
fully  two  hundred  feet  astern  of  the  Flying  Fish,  and 
the  bergs  were  revolving  on  their  own  centres  in  such  a 
manner  that  ere  many  seconds  were  past  they  must  in- 
evitably come  together  with  a  force  which  would  literally 
annihilate  whatever  might  happen  to  be  between  them. 
And  as  for  the  barque — the  way  in  which  her  bows  were 
burying  themselves  in  the  hissing  wave  that  foamed  and 
surged  about  her  cutwater,  and  the  terrified  looks  of  her 
crew  as  they  glanced,  now  aloft  at  the  formidable  bergs, 
and  now  at  the  straining  hawser — from  which  they  stood 


iliiMP'.l<i/?l'-'v?PA  i 


BY   THE   SKIN   OF   THEIR   TEETH.  147 

warily  aloof  lest  it  should  part,  and  in  so  doing  inflict 
upon  some  of  them  a  deadly  injury — told  the  baronet 
that  he  must  not  increase  by  a  single  ounce  the  strain 
upon  the  rope,  lest  something  should  give  way  on  board 
the  whaler  and  leave  her  there  helpless  in  the  very  grip 
of  those  awful  floating  mountains  of  ice. 
*  It  was  a  race  between  the  bergs  and  the  barque;  and 
Mildmay,  standing  there  by  the  after  rail,  told  himself, 
as  he  breathlessly  watched  the  progress  of  events,  that 
the  bergs  would  win.  The  contiguous  sides  of  these 
monsters  were  slightly  concave  in  shape;  and  whilst  the 
whaler,  still  some  dozen  yards  or  so  within  the  passage, 
had  a  foot  or  two  of  clear  water  on  either  side  of  her,  the 
projecting  extremities  of  the  bergs  had  neared  each  other 
to  within  a  distance  of  twenty  feet,  or  some  five  feet  less 
than  the  breadth  of  the  imprisoned  ship. 

Suddenly  a  tremendous  crash  was  heard,  and  the  party 
on  board  the  Flying  Fish  looked  to  see  the  unfortunate 
barque  collapse  and  crumple  into  a  shapeless  mass  of 
splintered  wood  before  their  eyes.  But,  to  their  inex- 
pressible astonishment,  nothing  of  the  sort  occurred. 
There  was  a  reverberating  sound  as  of  muffled  thunder, 
which  echoed  and  re-echoed  in  the  confined  space  between 
the  two  bergs;  a  series  of  tremendous  splashes  just  astern 
of  the  whaler;  the  bergs  recoiled  violently  from  each 
other;  the  baronet,  more  by  instinct  than  anything  else, 
threw  the  engine  lever  still  further  forward,  and  before 
anyone  had  time  even  to  draw  a  breath  of  relief,  the 
apparently  doomed  vessel  was  dragged,  with  a  foaming 
surge  heaped  up  round  her  bows  as  high  as  the  figure- 
head, out  from  the  reopened  portal  and  clear  of  all 
danger  a  single  instant  before  the  two  gigantic  masses  of 


148  saved! 

ice  again  closed  in  upon  each  other  with  a  horrible  grind- 
ino'  crunch  which  must  have  been  audible  for  miles. 

It  was  not  until  the  barque  had  been  dragged,  almost 
bows  under,  some  fifty  or  sixty  fathoms  away  from  the 
still  grinding  and  rasping  bergs,  that  her  crew  were  able 
to  realize  the  astounding  fact  of  their  safety,  but  w^hen 
they  did  so  they  sent  up  a  wild  cheer  which  was  as 
distinct  an  expression  of  gratitude  to  God  for  their 
deliverance  as  ever  issued  from  human  lips.  Their 
escape,  though  it  could  easily  be  accounted  for,  might 
indeed  well  be  called  miraculous,  for  at  the  moment  when 
their  last  hope  was  extinguished — apparently  their  last 
chance  gone — two  huge  overhanging  projections  on  the 
summits  of  the  bergs  had  come  into  contact  with  such 
violence  that  both  the  projecting  masses  of  ice  had 
become  detached  and  had  gone  thundering  down  into 
the  water,  fortunately  at  some  few  yards'  distance  astern 
of  the  whaler,  and  the  shock  of  collision  had  been  so 
great  as  to  compel  the  momentary  recoil  of  the  bergs, 
with  the  fortunate  result  already  described. 

Directly  it  was  seen  that  the  barque  had  indeed  escaped, 
the  Flying  Fish's  engines  were  slowed  down  to  their 
lowest  speed,  and  the  whaler,  relieved  of  the  enormous 
tugging  strain  upon  her,  once  more  floated  on  her  normal 
water-lines.  The  two  craft  were  now  in  comparatively 
open  water,  the  channel  being  between  two  and  three  miles 
wide,  and  still  widening  ahead  of  them,  with  a  few  small 
bergs  in  their  vicinity,  it  is  true,  but  with  no  ice  at  hand 
likely  to  cause  them  immediate  peril.  The  barque  was 
towed  to  windward  of  all  these,  and  then  the  baronet 
stopped  the  Flying  Fish  altogether,  and  hailed  the 
skipper  of  the  whaler  to  know  whither  he  was  bound. 


THE   SKIPPER   OF  THE  WHALER.  149 

Upon  this  the  worthy  man  lowered  one  of  his  boats  and 
pulled  alongside  his  strange  consort  to  return  thanks  in 
person  for  his  recent  rescue. 

He  was  a  very  fine  specimen  of  a  seaman,  not  very  tall, 
but  bluff  and  hearty-looking  in  his  manifold  wraps  sur- 
mounted by  a  dreadnought  pilot  jacket,  sealskin  cap,  and 
water  boots  reaching  to  his  thighs;  and  it  was  amusing 
to  see  his  look  of  surprise  as  he  came  up  the  Flying  Fish's 
side-ladder  and  stepped  in  upon  her  roomy  deck  unencum- 
bered by  anything  but  the  pilot-house.  The  four  com- 
panions of  course  stepped  out  on  deck  in  a  body  to  meet 
him,  and  after  they  had  all  heartily  shaken  hands  with 
him  and  deprecatingly  received  his  thanks  for  the  impor- 
tant service  rendered  in  the  rescue  of  his  ship  from  the 
ice,  he  was  invited  to  accompany  them  below  to  cement 
the  newly-made  acquaintance  over  a  glass  of  grog.  And 
if  the  worthy  seaman  was  surprised  at  the  exterior  of  the 
strange  craft  he  was  now  visiting,  how  much  greater  was 
his  astonishment  when  he  entered  her  magnificent  saloons, 
revelled  in  their  grateful  warmth,  and  looked  round  be- 
wildered upon  the  rich  carpets,  the  handsome  furniture, 
the  superb  pictures  and  statuary,  and  the  choice  brie  a 
brae,  all  glowing  under  the  brilliant  but  cunningly  modi- 
fied electric  light.  And  if  he  was  surprised  at  all  these 
unwonted  sights,  his  astonishment  may  be  imagined  when 
he  was  informed  that  the  four  refined  and  cultured  men 
who  welcomed  him  so  hospitably,  constituted,  with  the 
exception  of  the  cook  and  the  steward,  the  entire  crew  of 
the  immense  craft,  and  that  the  owner  of  all  the  magni- 
ficence he  beheld  had  dared  the  terrors  of  the  polar  regions 
solely  by  way  of  pastime. 

"  Well,  gentlemen,"  he  remarked,  "  it's  an  old  saying 


150  WHY   THE   WHALER    "DRESSED    SHIP." 

that  tastes  differ,  and  what  you've  just  told  me  proves  it. 
I've  been  a  whaler  for  nigh  on  to  twenty-five  years,  but 
it  has  been  a  ease  of  necessity,  not  choice,  with  me;  and 
after  the  first  two  or  three  years  of  the  life — when  the 
novelty  had  worn  ofi*  a  bit,  as  you  may  say — I've  looked 
forward  to  only  one  thing,  and  that  is  the  scraping  to- 
gether of  enough  money  to  retire  and  get  quit  of  it  all  for 
ever.  I  took  to  it  first  as  a  hand  before  the  mast,  and 
have  regularly  passed  through  all  the  grades — boat-steerer, 
third,  second,  and  chief  mate,  master,  and  at  last  owner 
of  my  own  ship,  always  with  the  same  object  ahead. 
And  when,  little  more  than  a  year"  ago,  I  put  the  savings 
of  a  lifetime  into  the  purchase  of  the  old  Walrus  there,  I 
thought  that  the  dream  of  my  life  was  soon  to  be  realized, 
and  that  one  trip  more  to  the  nor  ard  would  bring  me  in 
a  sufficiency  to  last  me  the  remainder  of  my  days,  and 
enable  me  to  enjoy  'em  in  the  company  of  my  wife  and 
my  little  daughter.  God  bless  the  child!  if  she's  still  alive 
she's  five  years  old  to-day." 

"Ah!"  interrupted  Mildmay,  "then  that,  I  suppose, 
accounts  for  the  fiags  flying  on  board  you,  and  the  mean- 
ing of  which  we  were  so  utterly  unable  to  guess?" 

"That's  it,  sir,"  was  the  reply.  "I  'dressed  ship'  at 
eight  o'clock  this  morning  in  honour  of  my  little  Florrie's 
birthday,  and  I  hadn't  the  heart  to  haul  down  the  flags 
even  when  we  found  ourselves  in  such  a  precious  pickle 
amongst  the  ice  yonder.  I  thought  that  if  so  be  it  was 
God's  will  that  we  was  to  go,  we  might  as  well  go  with 
the  buntin'  still  flying  in  Florrie's  honour  as  not." 

"And  what  success  have  you  met  with,  captain?"  asked 
Sir  Reginald. 

"Precious  little,  sir.     We've  been  out  now  more'n  a 


A  whaler's  difficulties.  151 

twelvemonth,  and  we've  only  killed  three  fish  in  all  that 
time.  Got  jammed  up  here  in  the  ice  all  last  winter.  I 
stayed  in  hopes  of  doin  something  in  the  sealing  line,  and 
only  got  some  three  hundred  skins  after  all.  It's  been  a 
bad  speculation  for  me.  An  old  friend  of  mine  came  this 
way  the  year  before  last,  and,  the  season  being  an  open 
one  and  not  much  ice  about,  he  reached  as  far  north  as 
Baffin's  Bay  and  through  Jones'  Sound,  fillin'  his  ship  with 
oil  and  bone  in  a  single  season.  He  was  lucky  enough 
to  hit  upon  a  spot  where  the  sea  was  fairly  alive  with 
whales,  and  he  filled  the  ship  right  up  in  that  very  spot. 
The  fish  seemed  tame,  as  though  they  hadn't  been  inter- 
fered with  for  years;  and  bein'  an  old  friend,  as  I  said 
before,  he  gave  me  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  the  place 
as  a  great  secret,  and  I've  been  trying  to  reach  the  spot 
ever  since  we  came  north,  but  have  been  kept  back  by 
the  ice  and  the  contrary  winds.  If  I  could  get  there, 
even  now,  it  would  make  the  trip  profitable  enough  to 
serve  my  purpose;  but  I  see  no  chance  of  it,  and  the  men 
are  getting  disheartened." 

"Never  mind,  captain,  cheer  up;  all  may  yet  be  well," 
exclaimed  the  baronet.  "  We  can't  drag  your  ship  over 
the  ice,  but  if  there  is  only  a  passage  for  her  we  can  drag 
her  through  it,  and  for  little  Florrie's  sake  we  will.  If  it 
is  in  our  power  to  get  you  to  the  spot  you  wish  to  reach, 
you  shall  go  there.  Now,  as  the  present  open  water  affords 
an  opportunity  too  good  to  be  lost,  return  to  your  ship, 
secure  our  hawser  in  such  a  way  that  we  may  put  a  big 
strain  upon  it  without  damaging  the  vessel,  and  send 
a  trustworthy  hand  aloft  into  the  crow's-nest  to  look  out 
for  the  best  channels.  We  will  tow  you  to  the  northward 
as  lon^i:  as  a  channel  can  be  found  throun^h  the  ice,  and  at 


152  PREPARING   FOR   A   LONG   TOW. 

seven  o'clock  I  hope  you  will  give  us  the  pleasure  of  your 
company  on  board  here  to  dinner,  when  we  will  drink 
'many  happy  returns  of  the  day'  to  Florrie  in  the  best 
champagne  the  Flying  Fish's  cellar  affords." 

The  captain  of  the  whaler  returned  to  his  own  ship  in 
a  state  of  such  mingled  astonishment  and  elation  that  his 
people  were  at  first  inclined  to  think  he  had  suddenly 
gone  demented.  However,  the  order  which  he  gave  them 
to  secure  the  towing  hawser  in  such  a  manner  as  w^ould 
enable  the  ship  to  withstand  a  heavy  strain  was  intelli- 
gible enough;  it  told  them  that,  with  the  assistance  of 
their  strange  rescuers,  a  supreme  effort  was  now  to  be 
made  to  reach  those  prolific  fishing -grounds  which  had 
from  the  first  been  the  goal  of  their  voyage;  and  that, 
best  of  all,  that  effort  was  to  be  unaccompanied  by  any  of 
the  usual  harassing  labour  of  working  the  ship  to  wind- 
ward through  the  ice,  and  they  set  to  with  a  will.  A 
sufficient  length  of  the  hawser  was  hauled  on  board  to 
enable  them  to  take  a  couple  of  turns  round  the  barrel  of 
the  windlass  and  two  more  round  the  heel  of  the  foremast, 
the  eye  of  the  hawser  being  further  secured  by  tackles  to 
every  ring-bolt  in  the  ship  capable  of  bearing  a  good  sub- 
stantial strain;  and  then,  the  skipper  himself  going  aloft 
to  the  crow's-nest,  the  signal  was  given  for  the  Flying 
Fish  to  go  ahead. 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE   "HUMBOLDT       GLACIER. 


HE  two  ships  were  at  this  time  floating  in  a  toler- 
ably broad  expanse  of  open  water;  but  at  a  dis- 
tance of  some  seven  miles  ahead  the  pack-ice 
stretched,  apparently  unbroken,  across  their  track  for 
miles.  The  skipper  of  the  whaler,  however,  shouted  down 
to  them  from  his  elevated  perch  the  intelligence  that  a 
somewhat  intricate  but  continuous  channel  extended 
through  this  ice  in  a  northerly  direction  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach.  Toward  this  channel,  then,  away  they  went 
at  a  speed  of  something  like  sixteen  knots  per  hour,  the 
barque  with  her  string  of  colours  still  fluttering  bravely 
in  defiance  of  the  adverse  gale,  and  the  Flying  Fish  with 
the  white  ensign  of  the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron,  of  which 
Sir  Reginald  was  a  member,  streaming  from  her  ensign 
staff  in  honour  of  little  Florrie.  It  was  a  strange  sight; 
even  in  that  region  of  fantastic  phantasmagoria,  to  see 
the  two  ships,  one  of  which,  moreover,  wore  such  an  unac- 
customed shape,  dashing  rapidly  along  through  the  black 
foam-flecked  water,  with  ice  in  every  conceivable  form 
heaped  and  piled  around  them,  and  their  bright-hued 
flafrs  flutterino'  aofainst  the  dark  and  dismal  backo^round 


164  A   WELCOME   CHANGE. 

of  a  stormy  sky;  and  the  skipper  of  the  whaler  possesses 
to  this  day  a  spirited  w^ater-eolour  sketch  of  the  scene, 
executed  on  the  spot  by  the  colonel,  which  he  exhibits 
with  becoming  pride  whenever  he  relates  the  story  of  his 
wonderful  escape  from  the  threatening  icebergs. 

Half  an  hour  later  they  entered  the  channel  through 
the  ice.  Narrow  and  tortuous  at  first,  it  gradually 
widened  out,  and,  after  a  journey  of  some  fourteen  or  fif- 
teen miles,  turned  sharply  off  in  a  direction  almost  due 
west.  About  the  same  time  the  gale  broke,  the  sun  made 
his  appearance  through  the  rifted  clouds,  and  by  seven 
o'clock  that  evening,  at  which  hour  Florrie's  father  duly 
put  in  an  appearance  on  board  the  Flying  Fish,  the 
engines  having  been  temporarily  stopped  to  receive  him, 
they  found  themselves  in  open  water,  or  rather  in  a 
straight  channel  some  twelve  miles  in  width  and  entirely 
free  from  ice,  with  a  clear  sky  overhead,  a  light  easterly 
wind  blowing,  and  the  evening  sun  lighting  up  the  snow- 
clad  peaks  of  the  extensive  island  called  North  Devon. 
An  hour  later,  dinner  having  been  postponed  on  account 
of  their  near  proximity  to  the  land,  the  two  vessels  entered 
a  commodious  natural  harbour  called  Hyde  Bay,  and 
anchored  there  for  the  night,  in  order  to  give  the  whaler's 
exhausted  crew  an  opportunity  to  snatch  a  few  hours  of 
much-needed  rest. 

The  master  of  the  Walrus,  who  answered,  by  the  way, 
to  the  name  of  Hudson,  though  only  a  bluff  hearty  sea- 
man, and  somewhat  shy  for  the  first  half-hour  or  so  in 
such  unaccustomed  company  as  that  of  his  four  well-bred 
easy-mannered  entertainers,  gradually  thawed  out  under 
the  genial  influence  of  the  baronet's  champagne,  and 
proved    himself  a  tolerably   well  informed  and    by   no 


WHALES    IN    SIGHT.  155 

means  disagreeable  companion.  He  possessed  a  fund  of 
interesting  anecdote  and  information  with  respect  to  the 
peculiarities  of  the  region  his  hosts  were  now  visiting  for 
the  first  time,  and  imparted  to  them  many  valuable  hints 
as  to  the  best  means  of  protecting  themselves  from  the 
ice;  but,  as  they  did  not  see  fit  to  inform  him  of  the 
aerial  capabilities  of  the  Flying  Fishy  he  laughed  to  scorn 
their  project  of  reaching  the  North  Pole,  which  he  assured 
them  most  solemnly  was  an  utter  impossibility.  They 
duly  drank  the  unconscious  Florrie's  health,  treated  her 
father  to  some  excellent  music,  gave  him  a  file  of  the 
latest  newspapers  they  had  brought  with  them,  and  sent 
him  back  to  his  own  ship  at  midnight  a  thoroughly  happy 
man. 

On  the  following  morning  about  half -past  eight,  whilst 
the  party  on  board  the  Flying  Fish  were  sitting  down  to 
breakfast,  the  sound  of  oars  was  heard  close  alongside; 
and  a  minute  later  Captain  Hudson,  ushered  by  George, 
made  his  appearance  in  the  saloon.  He  was  in  a  great 
hurry  and  almost  breathlessly  explained  that  he  had 
come  on  board  to  repeat  his  thanks  and  those  of  his 
crew  for  their  rescue  of  the  previous  day,  and  to  say 
"  Good-bye,"  as  he  w^as  about  to  weigh  and  proceed  to  sea 
in  chase  of  a  large  school  of  whales  which  had  just  been 
seen  spouting  at  a  distance  of  some  twelve  miles  in  the 
offing.  The  baronet  was  good-natured  enough  to  offer  to 
tow  him  to  the  scene  of  action ;  but  this  service  he  grate- 
ful ly  declined,  saying  that  there  was  a  fine  fair  wind 
blowing  and  that  his  anchor  was  already  a-trip.  The 
party  therefore  shook  hands  heartily  with  him,  wishing 
him  "  Good  luck,"  and  he  departed,  leaving  Sir  Reginald 
and  his  friends  to  finish  their  meal  at  their  leisure. 


156  A   SPLENDID   OPPORTUNITY. 

An  hour  later  the  Flying  Fish  also  weighed  and  stood 
out  to  sea  after  the  Walrus,  now  nearly  hull  down,  to 
witness  the  sport. 

The  engines  had  scarcely  begun  to  move  when  the 
whaler  was  seen  to  heave  to;  and  when  the  Flying  Fish 
ranged  up  alongside  her,  some  ten  minutes  afterwards, 
three  whale-boats  were  in  the  water  and  pulling  lustily 
toward  a  school  of  some  forty  whales  which  were  lazily 
sporting,  apparently  quite  unconscious  of  danger,  about 
two  miles  away. 

"  Those  whales  do  not  appear  in  the  least  alarmed  at 
the  presence  of  the  boats,"  remarked  Mildmay;  "evidently 
they  have  not  been  chased  for  a  considerable  period.  If 
we  only  had  the  means  of  killing  a  few,  now,  what  a 
splendid  opportunity  there  would  be  to  do  that  poor 
fellow  Hudson  a  good  turn." 

"Well  thought  of!"  exclaimed  the  professor.  "Follow 
me,  gentlemen;  we  can  do  our  friend  a  good  turn,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  test  the  powers  of  our  large-bore  rifles 
with  explosive  shells  for  big  game." 

The  party  hurried  below  to  the  armoury,  and  each 
selected  one  of  the  weapons  indicated  by  the  professor, 
providing  himself  at  the  same  time  with  a  supply  of 
cartridges  from  a  large  chest  near  at  hand. 

The  rifles  were  truly  formidable,  being  repeating 
weapons  each  capable  of  firing  ten  shots  without  reload- 
ing. The  barrels  were  not  very  long,  measuring  only 
three  feet  from  breech  to  muzzle,  but  they  were  of  one- 
and-a-half-inch  bore  and  fired  a  conical  shell  four  and  a 
half  inches  in  length.  Notwithstanding  their  somewhat 
ponderous  appearance  they  were  very  light,  being  con- 
structed of  aethereum  throughout. 


TRYING   THE   NEW  WEAPONS.  157 

When  the  party  returned  to  the  deck  they  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  that,  though  each  of  the  whale-boats 
had  succeeded  in  fastening  to  a  fish,  the  remainder  of  the 
school  manifested  very  little  alarm,  the  stricken  whales 
having  started  to  "  run  "  in  different  directions  and  quite 
away  from  their  companions. 

The  Flying  Fish  was  moved  as  gently  as  possible  into 
the  very  centre  of  the  herd,  the  huge  monsters  taking  no 
apparent  notice  of  her,  and  perhaps  mistaking  her  for 
one  of  themselves.  They  were  swimming  lazily  about, 
rolling  over  on  their  sides  until  their  pectoral  fins  appeared 
above  the  surface,  and  occasionally  throwing  themselves 
entirely  out  of  the  water. 

The  engines  being  stopped  the  four  sportsmen  took  up 
their  positions,  two  on  each  side  of  the  deck,  and,  having 
loaded  their  weapons,  waited  for  a  favourable  opportunity 
to  use  them. 

The  baronet  was  the  first  to  fire.  He  had  selected  for  his 
victim  a  huge  bull,  fully  eighty  feet  in  length,  and  this 
creature  he  patiently  watched,  hoping  for  an  opportunity 
to  inflict  a  fatal  wound.  It  soon  came.  The  animal 
rolled  lazily  over  on  its  right  side,  exposing  the  whole  of 
its  left  fin,  and  before  it  could  recover  itself  Sir  Reginald 
had  levelled  and  discharged  his  piece.  There  was  a  very 
faint  pufF  of  thin  fleecy  vapour,  but  no  report  or  sound 
of  any  kind  save  the  by  no  means  loud  click  of  the 
hammer,  above  which  could  be  distinctly  heard  the  dull 
thud  of  the  shell.  The  whale  shuddered  visibly  at  the 
blow,  and  made  as  though  about  to  "sound"  or  dive;  but 
before  it  had  power  to  do  so  the  shell  must  have  exploded, 
for  the  immense  creature  made  a  sudden  violent  writhing 
motion,  half  leapt  out  of  the  water,  and  rolled  over  on  its 


158  A   BIG    "BAG." 

side,  dead.  The  professor  scored  the  next  success,  closely 
followed  by  the  colonel,  Lieutenant  Mildmay  signalizing 
his  first  essay  with  the  new  arm  by  making  a  palpable 
miss,  much  to  his  disgust.  His  failure,  however,  taught 
him  a  valuable  lesson,  and  he  succeeded  in  killing  two 
whales  before  either  of  the  others  liad  been  able  to  secure 
another  shot.  In  ten  minutes  eight  whales  had  been 
killed,  and  the  professor,  who  was  very  rigid  in  his 
objection  to  the  wanton  sacrifice  of  life,  then  suggested 
that  probably  as  many  had  been  killed  as  the  whaler 
could  successfully  deal  with  at  one  time,  especially  as  the 
boats  now  had  signals  flying  which  showed  that  each  had 
killed  her  fish.  The  Flying  Fish  was  accordingly  ranged 
up  close  alongside  the  Walrus,  and  the  baronet  hailed: 

"  Walrus  ahoy !  how  many  fish  can  you  '  cut  in '  at  one 
operation  ? " 

"  I  wish  I  had  the  chance  of  trying  my  hand  upon  half 
a  dozen,"  was  the  reply,  given,  the  baronet  thought,  in 
rather  a  sulky  tone. 

"  Well,"  returned  Sir  Reginald,  "  there  are  eight  which 
we  have  killed  and  three  taken  by  your  boats,  making 
eleven  altogether.  Can  you  handle  any  more?  because, 
if  so,  we  will  kill  them  for  you;  but,  if  not,  we  think  it 
best  not  to  disturb  them  further." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you've  killed  those  fish  on 
my  account,  then?"  asked  Hudson  with  great  animation. 

"  To  be  sure  we  did.  You  surely  did  not  suppose  that 
we  wanted  them  for  ourselves,  did  you?" 

The  whaling  skipper  muttered  a  few  unintelligible 
words  to  himself,  and  then  shouted  back  in  unmistak- 
ably hearty  tones: 

"  Thank'ee,  gentlemen,  thank'ee   with    all    my   heart. 


PARTING   COMPANY.  169 

That's  another  favour  I'm  in  your  debt.  That  being  the 
case,  I  think,  if  it's  all  the  same  to  you,  I'd  rather  that 
the  rest  of  the  school  be  left  to  go  their  ways  in  peace. 
I  don't  want  them  to  be  frightened;  and  eleven  fish  is  as 
much  as  we  can  well  handle  at  one  time." 

"  In  that  case,  then,"  returned  Sir  Reginald,  "  we  will 
wish  you  'Good-bye,'  and  a  prosperous  voyage." 

"  Thank'ee,  gentlemen;  the  same  to  you,  and  best 
thanks  for  all  favours,"  replied  Hudson. 

And  with  mutual  hand-wavings  and  dipping  of  colours 
the  two  craft  separated,  the  Wahus  bearing  up  to  inter- 
cept her  boats,  and  the  Flying  Fish  heading  northward 
at  a  speed  of  about  twenty  knots. 

For  about  a  couple  of  hours  the  adventurous  voyagers 
were  able  to  maintain  that  speed;  but  toward  noon  they 
found  themselves  once  more  surrounded  by  ice ;  and  they 
had  no  choice  but  either  to  materially  reduce  their  speed 
and  slowly  thread  their  way  through  narrow  and  tortu- 
ous channels,  or  once  more  take  flight  into  the  air.  They 
chose  the  latter  alternative;  and  for  the  next  two  hours 
the  flying  ship  sped  northward  through  Smith's  Sound, 
for  the  most  part  over  an  unbroken  field  of  pack-ice 
which,  to  any  ordinary  vessel,  would  have  opposed  an 
utterly  impassable  barrier.  At  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, however,  the  Greenland  shore  suddenly  trended  to 
the  north-eastward;  and  after  following  it  for  a  short 
time  the  ice  once  more  began  to  be  intersected  with  water 
channels,  short  and  narrow  at  first,  but  wider  as  they 
proceeded,  until  at  length  they  found  themselves  once 
i^ore  able  to  descend  in  a  water  lane  some  four  miles 
in  width. 

"  And  now,"  said  the  professor,  as  they  were  Hearing  a 


160  THE    "HUMBOLDT"   GLACIER. 

bold  rocky  headland  on  their  starboard  bow,  "we  are  about 
to  be  introduced  to  one  of  the  sights  par  excellence  of  the 
Arctic  regions." 

"  What  is  it?"  was  the  question  which  burst  simultane- 
ously from  the  lips  of  his  three  companions. 

"Wait  and  see,"  answered  the  professor,  nodding  mys- 
teriously. 

Sure  enough,  the  moment  that  the  Flying  Fish  rounded 
the  point  a  magnificent  spectacle  burst  upon  the  tra- 
vellers' enraptured  gaze.  It  was  neither  more  nor  less 
than  an  immense  cliff  of  the  clearest  crystal  ice,  towering 
some  thtee  hundred  feet  above  the  water's  edge,  and  ex- 
tending so  far  northward  along  the  coast  that  its  northern 
extremity  lay  far  below  the  horizon.  It  was  the  magni- 
ficent Humboldt  Glacier.  The  afternoon  sun  was  shining- 
full  upon  its  rugged  face,  causing  the  enormous  mass  to 
flash  and  gleam  like  a  gigantic  diamond.  As  they  coasted 
slowly  along,  at  a  distance  of  about  half  a  mile  from  its 
face,  the  dazzling  flashes  of  light  were  reproduced  one 
after  the  other,  changing  rapidly  from  one  colour  to  an- 
other through  every  conceivable  tint  of  the  rainbow, 
until  the  beholders'  eyes  fairly  ached  with  the  contem- 
plation of  so  much  splendour,  all  of  which  was  reflected 
with  the  most  charming  variation  in  the  mirror-like  sur- 
face of  the  deep  still  water  below.  The  wind  had  died 
away  to  a  dead  calm,  as  if  to  give  the  bold  explorers  an 
opportunity  of  witnessing  this  unrivalled  sight  to  the  best 
advantage;  and  every  now  and  then  the  still  air  resounded 
with  the  sharp  rifle-like  crack  which  told  that,  though 
apparently  so  motionless  and  solid,  hidden  forces  were  at 
work  within  the  heart  of  the  glacier,  slowly  but  surely 
tending  to  its  ultimate  dismemberment. . 


THE  BIRTH   OF  AN   ICEBERG.  161 

Suddenly  a  crashing  report,  so  loud  that  it  resembled 
the  simultaneous  discharge  of  a  whole  army  of  rifles, 
smote  upon  their  ears ;  and  then,  as  they  stood  in  a  trance 
of  breathless  expectation,  wondering  what  was  about  to 
happen,  an  immense  section  of  the  icy  cliff  was  seen  to  be 
in  motion.  Slowly  at  first,  but  with  ever-increasing 
rapidity,  it  slid  downward  into  the  water,  with  a  con- 
tinuous roaring  reverberating  crash,  to  which  even  the 
awful  pealing  of  thunder  was  as  nothing,  until  in  a  wild 
turmoil  of  madly  leaping  and  foaming  surges  it  disap- 
peared entirely  below  the  water.  The  sea  rushed  irre- 
sistibly after  it  from  all  sides,  pouring  like  a  foaming 
cataract  into  the  hollow  watery  basin  it  had  left,  and 
dragging  the  Flying  Fish  helplessly  toward  the  yawning 
vortex.  Then  the  inward  rush  suddenly  ceased ;  a  gleam- 
ing white  crest  of  ice  reappeared  above  the  foam,  and  with 
a  mighty  upward  rush  and  a  resounding  roar  the  gigantic 
submerged  mass  once  more  upreared  itself  above  the  again 
maddened  waters,  swaying  heavily  to  and  fro,  whilst  a 
thousand  gleaming  torrents  poured  down  its  sparkling 
sides.  And,  as  a  fitting  finale  to  the  thrilling  spectacle, 
a  huge  wall  of  water  suddenly  heaped  itself  up  about  the 
rocking  mass  and  began  to  rush  rapidly  outward  in  an 
ever-widening  circle,  its  towering  crest  surmounted  by  a 
roarino:  curling  fringe  of  snow-white  foam.  Increasino^  in 
height  and  in  speed  as  it  advanced,  it  rapidly  attained  an 
altitude  of  fully  sixty  feet,  bearing  down  upon  the  Fly- 
ing Fish  so  menacingly  that,  for  a  few  seconds,  the  party  in 
the  pilot-house  stood  paralysed  with  consternation,  expect- 
ing nothing  less  than  that  they  would  be  helplessly  over- 
whelmed. The  first  to  recover  his  presence  of  mind  was 
Mildmay,  who,  springing  to  the  rods  which  controlled  the 

(350)  L 


162  A   GIGANTIC   WAVE. 

air- valves,  pressed  them  powerfully  down,  throwing  them 
all  wide  open  and  at  once  ejecting  from  the  hull  both  the 
water  and  the  compressed  air,  and  causing  the  ship  to  rise 
until  she  floated  lightly  as  an  air-bubble  on  the  water.  He 
then  injected  a  dense  body  of  vapour  into  the  air  and 
water  chambers,  completing  the  vacuum ;  and  the  ship 
rose  into  the  air  just  in  time  to  avoid  the  gigantic  surge, 
which  went  hissing  and  roaring  close  beneath  them  with 
a  power  and  fury  which  fully  revealed  to  them  the  ex- 
tent of  the  disturbance  from  which  they  had  so  narrowly 
escaped.  Other  surges  followed  in  quick  rotation;  but 
each  was  less  formidable  than  its  predecessor,  and  in  an- 
other ten  minutes  the  surface  had  once  more  subsided 
into  a  state  of  comparative  calm. 

As  the  Flying  Fish  once  more  settled  down  upon  the 
water  and  the  air-pump  was  set  going,  the  professor 
turned  to  his  companions  and  remarked: 

"  We  have  especial  reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  and 
each  other,  gentlemen,  for  we  have  to-day  not  only 
looked  upon  the  magnificent  Humboldt  Glacier  under 
most  highly  favourable  conditions,  but  we  have  been 
also  permitted  to  witness  that  even  rarer  sight,  the  birth 
of  an  iceberg y 

They  had  indeed  witnessed  the  birth  of  an  iceberg,  and 
that  too  of  quite  unusual  size;  for,  as  soon  as  they  dared, 
they  approached  the  newly  fallen  mass  of  ice  closely 
enough  to  make  a  tolerably  accurate  measurement  of  it;  and 
they  found  that  it  was  of  nearly  square  shape,  measuring 
fully  three-quarters  of  a  mile  along  each  of  its  four  sides, 
and  towering  to  an  average  height  of  about  three  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water.  The 
visible  portion  of  the  berg  constituted,  however,  only  a 


A   SIGHT   WORTH   SEEING.  163 

small  portion  of  its  entire  bulk,  since  fresh-water  ice 
floating  in  salt  water  shows  above  the  surface  only  one- 
eighth  of  its  entire  depth.  This  enormous  berg,  therefore, 
must  have  measured  in  its  entirety  about  four  thousand 
feet  square  by  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  feet 
deep!  And  its  weight  must  have  approximated  closely 
upon  two  thousand  millions  of  tons!  Bergs  of  equal,  or 
even  greater  dimensions,  have  occasionally  been  encoun- 
tered in  the  Arctic  seas;  but  how  few  of  earth's  inhabi- 
tants have  ever  been  privileged  to  witness  the  disruption 
of  so  enormous  a  mass  from  its  parent  glacier! 

After  witnessing  so  thrilling  a  spectacle  as  this — prob- 
ably the  grandest  and  most  impressive  which  the  Arctic 
regions  can  exhibit — it  is  perhaps  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  even  the  beauties  of  the  glacier  itself  appeared  some- 
what tame  and  uninteresting  to  the  voyagers.  But  their 
interest  was  once  more  awakened  when,  having  at  length 
coasted  alono^  the  face  of  the  o^lacier  for  a  distance  of  not 
less  than  sixty  miles,  they  reached  its  northern  extremity 
and  found  the  succeeding  Greenland  coast  to  be  magnifi- 
cently picturesque,  the  greenstone  and  sandstone  cliffs  in 
some  cases  towering  abruptly  from  the  water's  edge  to  a 
height  of  a  thousand  feet  or  more,  not  in  a  smooth  un- 
broken face,  or  even  with  the  usual  everyday  rugged 
aspect  of  a  rocky  precipice,  but  presenting  to  the  enrap- 
tured eye  an  ever-varying  perspective  of  ruined  buttresses, 
pinnacles,  arches,  and  even  more  fantastic  architectural 
semblances.  In  one  spot  which  caused  them  to  pause  in 
sheer  admiration,  the  crumbling  debris  at  the  foot  of  the 
cliff' had  shaped  itself  into  the  likeness  of  a  huge  causeway 
such  as  might  have  been  constructed  by  one  of  the  giants 
of  fabulous  times,  leading  into  a  deep  wild  rocky  gorge 


164  AN    ENCHANTED   REGION. 

rich  in  soft  purple  shadows,  at  the  further  edge  of  which 
rose  a  gigantic  rock  hewn  by  the  storms  of  ten  thousand 
winters  into  the  exact  similitude  of  a  castle  flanked  by 
three  lofty  detached  towers  all  bathed  in  the  dreamy 
roseate  haze  of  the  evening  sunshine.  And,  somewhat 
further  on,  they  came  to  a  single  greenstone  clifl"  the  sky- 
line of  which  was  boldly  chiselled  into  the  likeness  of  the 
ruined  ramparts  of  an  extensive  city,  whilst  at  its  northern 
extremity,  at  the  edge  of  a  deep  ravine,  a  solitary  column 
nearly  five  hundred  feet  high,  and  standing  upon  a  base 
or  pedestal  nearly  three  hundred  feet  high,  shot  straight 
and  smooth  up  into  the  deep  blue  of  the  northern  sky. 

Tearing  themselves  unwillingly  away  from  this  region 
of  weird  enchantment,  the  voyagers  pushed  onward  along 
Kennedy  and  Robeson  Channels,  sometimes  winding  their 
way  through  intricate  water  lanes  in  the  ice,  and  some- 
times skimming  lightly  a  few  yards  above  the  surface  of 
the  solid  pack,  until  they  reached  the  latitude  of  82°  80' 
N.,  when  the  land  abruptly  trended  away  to  their  right 
and  left,  and  they  found  themselves  hovering  over  an 
immense  field  of  pack  -  ice  which  extended  in  an  un- 
broken mass  as  far  northward  as  the  eye  could  reach. 

Up  to  the  present,  from  the  time  of  their  passing  Disko 
Island,  the  voyagers  had  seen  plenty  of  seals  and  walruses, 
with  an  occasional  white  bear,  a  few  Arctic  foxes,  a  herd 
or  two  of  reindeer,  and  even  a  few  specimens  of  the  elk 
and  musk-ox,  to  say  nothing  of  birds,  such  as  snow-geese, 
eider  and  long-tailed  ducks,  sea-eagles,  divers,  auks,  and 
gulls.  Moreover,  they  had  been  favoured  with,  on  the 
whole,  exceptionally  fine  weather — due  as  much  as  any- 
thing, perhaps,  to  the  fact  that  they  had  been  fortunate 
enough  to  enter  the  Arctic  circle  during  the  prevalence 


THE  sea-birds'   WARNING.  165 

of  a  ''spell"  of  fine  weather,  and  that  they  had  accom- 
plished in  a  very  few  days  a  distance  which  it  would 
occupy  an  ordinary  craft  months  of  weary  toil  to  cover. 
But,  on  passing  the  edge  of  this  gigantic  ice  barrier,  they 
left  all  life  behind  them;  even  the  very  gulls — which  had 
followed  them  in  clouds  whenever  the  speed  of  the  Flying 
Fish  was  low  enough  to  permit  of  such  a  proceeding — 
after  wheeling  agitatedly  about  the  ship  for  a  tew  minutes 
with  discordant  screams,  as  of  warning  to  the  travellers 
not  to  venture  into  so  vast  and  gloomy  a  solitude,  forsook 
them  and  retraced  their  way  to  the  southward.  The 
weather,  too,  changed,  the  sky  becoming  overcast  with  a 
pall  of  dull  gray  snow  -  laden  cloud  accompanied  by  a 
dismal  murky  atmosphere  and  a  temperature  of  ten  de- 
grees below  zero.  The  wind  sighed  and  moaned  over  the 
icy  waste;  but,  excepting  for  this  dreary  and  depressing 
sound,  there  was  absolute  silence,  the  silence  of  a  dead 
world. 

The  ice  bore  at  first  the  same  appearance  as  all  the 
other  ice  which  they  had  hitherto  encountered,  but  by  the 
time  that  they  had  advanced  a  distance  of  thirty  miles 
into  the  frozen  desert  they  became  conscious  of  a  change. 
The  hummocks  were  not  so  lofty  as  heretofore,  the  hol- 
lows between  them  having  the  appearance  of  being  to  a 
considerable  extent  filled  up  with  hard  frozen  snow;  the 
ice  itself,  too,  instead  of  being  a  pure  white,  was  tinged 
with  yellow  of  the  hue  of  very  old  ivory;  the  sharp 
angles,  also,  were  all  worn  away  as  if  by  long- continued 
abrasion;  the  ice,  in  fact,  bore  unmistakable  evidence  of 
extreme  age. 

At  the  professor's  suggestion  a  pause  was  made  and  a 
descent  effected,  in  order  that  he  might  carefully  investi- 


166  A  DREARY   SOLITUDE. 

gate  the  nature  of  the  ice;  and,  warmly  clad  in  furs,  the 
entire  party  left  the  ship  for  this  purpose. 

"  It  is  as  I  feared,"  said  von  Schalckenberg,  after  they 
had  toiled  painfully  over  the  surface  for  some  time;  "we 
have  reached  the  region  of  paleocrystic  or  ancient  ice; 
and  my  cherished  theory  of  an  open  sea  about  the  North 
Pole  vanishes  into  thin  air.  Look  at  this  ice  here,  where 
a  portion  of  the  original  hummock  still  remains  bare — it 
is  yellow  and  rotten,  not  with  the  rottenness  which  pre- 
cedes a  thaw,  but  with  extreme  age.  See,  it  crumbles  at 
a  kick  or  a  blow,  but  the  fragments  do  not  melt;  it  is 
years — possibly  ages — since  this  ice  was  water.  And  look 
at  the  edges  of  the  blocks;  they  are  rounded  and  worn 
away  by  the  constant  abrading  action  of  the  wind,  the 
snow,  the  hail,  and  possibly  the  rain,  which  has  beaten 
upon  them  through  unnumbered  years.  It  is  no  wonder 
that  this  is  a  lifeless  solitude;  there  is  nothing  here  ca- 
pable of  sustaining  the  life  of  even  the  meanest  insect. 
Let  us  return  to  the  ship,  my  friends,  and  hasten  over 
this  part  of  our  journey;  we  shall  meet  with  nothing 
worthy  of  interest  until  we  reach  the  Pole,  which  itself 
will  probably  prove  to  be  merely  an  undistinguishable 
spot  in  just  such  a  waste  as  this." 

The  professor  was,  however  mistaken;  a  most  interest- 
ing discovery  awaited  them  at  no  very  great  distance 
ahead.  They  returned  to  the  ship  oppressed  with  a  vague 
feeling  of  melancholy  foreboding  for  which  they  could 
not  account,  but  which  was  doubtless  attributable  to  the 
gloomy  cheerless  aspect  of  their  surroundings,  and,  re- 
leasing the  ship  from  the  hold  of  her  grip-anchors,  re- 
sumed their  way  northward  at  the  Flying  Fish's  utmost 
speed. 


I 


A   POLAR   MYSTERY.  167 

Half  an  hour  later,  however,  they  suddenly  checked 
their  flight  and  diverged  a  mile  to  the  eastward  of  their 
former  course  to  examine  an  object  which  Mildmay's 
quick  eye  had  detected.  The  object — or  objects  rather, 
for  there  were  two  of  them — proved  to  be  short  poles 
or  spars  about  twenty-five  feet  apart,  projecting  about 
twelve  feet  out  of  the  ice,  and  surmounted  by  the  skele- 
ton framework  of  what  seemed  to  have  been  at  one  time 
small  bulwarked  platforms.  Wondering  what  they  could 
possibly  be,  and  by  whom  placed  in  so  out-of-the-way  a 
region,  but  thinking  they  might  possibly  mark  cairns  or 
places  of  deposit  inclosing  the  records  of  some  long-lost 
expedition,  they  resolved  to  stop  and  institute  a  thorough 
examination. 

They  were  fortunate  enough  to  find  a  smooth  and  level 
spot  suitable  for  grounding  the  Flying  Fish  upon,  at  a 
distance  of  barely  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  objects  of 
their  interest;  and  it  being  by  that  time  six  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  and  too  late  to  do  any  good  before  dinner, 
they  secured  the  ship  there  for  the  night — taking  the 
precaution  of  fully  weighting  her  down  with  compressed 
air  in  addition  to  mooring  her  firmly  to  the  ice  by  her 
four  grip-anchors.  It  was  a  most  happy  inspiration  which 
impelled  them  to  take  this  precaution;  for  when  they 
arose  next  morning  a  terrific  gale  from  the  northward 
was  blowing,  accompanied  by  a  heavy  ceaseless  fall  of 
snow;  and,  well  secured  as  the  ship  was  both  by  her 
weight  and  by  her  anchors,  she  fairly  trembled  at  times 
with  the  violence  of  the  blast.  Had  she  been  dependent 
only  upon  her  anchors  and  her  own  unassisted  weight — 
which  the  reader  will  remember  was  very  trifiing  not- 
withstanding her  immense  dimensions — she  would  in- 


168  ARCTIC   WEATHER   INDEED. 

fallibly  have  been  whirled  away  like  a  bubble  upon  the 
wings  of  the  gale.  The  highly-compressed  air,  however, 
held  her  securely  down  upon  her  icy  bed,  and,  beyond 
imparting  an  occasional  tremor,  as  already  mentioned,  the 
tempest,  fierce  as  it  was,  had  no  power  to  move  her. 

In  such  terrible  weather  it  was  of  course  useless  to 
think  of  pursuing  their  investigations;  it  would,  indeed, 
have  been  the  sheerest  madness  to  have  attempted  to 
face  the  furious  gale,  with  its  deadly  cold  and  the  blind- 
ing whirling  snow.  The  travellers  were  therefore  com- 
pelled to  spend  an  inactive  day.  For  this,  however,  they 
were  by  no  means  sorry;  they  had  been  keeping  rather 
late  hours  since  entering  the  Arctic  circle,  and  this  in- 
terval of  inaction  afforded  them  an  opportunity  of  secur- 
ing their  arrears  of  rest.  Besides  this  there  were  sketches 
to  complete,  and  a  thousand  little  odd  matters  to  attend 
to — to  such  an  extent,  indeed,  that  when  they  once  began 
work  they  wondered  at  their  own  thoughtlessness  in  not 
having  attended  to  them  before.  Thus  employed,  with 
occasional  interludes  of  meditative  gazing  out  upon  the 
ceaseless  whirling  rush  of  the  snow,  the  day  passed 
rapidly  and  pleasantly  away,  wound  up  by  an  hour  or 
two  of  vocal  and  instrumental  music  after  dinner.  They 
retired  early  to  their  warm  comfortable  state-rooms  that 
night,  and  were  lulled  to  sweet  dreamless  slumber  by  the 
howling  of  the  gale  outside. 

The  four  following  days  were  spent  in  the  same  man- 
ner— the  gale  lasting  all  that  time  with  unabated  fury, 
accompanied  by  an  almost  ceaseless  fall  of  snow.  But 
on  the  fifth  day  the  weather  moderated;  the  snow  ceased, 
or  at  all  events  fell  only  intermittently ;  the  wind  backed 
round  and  blew  from  the  south-west;  and  the  exterior 


PREPARATIONS   FOR   AN    INVESTIGATION.  169 

temperature,  which  during  the  gale  had  fallen  to  thirty- 
three  degrees  below  zero,  rose  twenty  degrees.  The  sky 
was  still  overcast  and  lowering,  it  is  true,  and  the  cold 
was  still  intense.  But  notwithstanding  this  the  weather, 
compared  with  that  of  the  preceding  five  days,  seemed 
positively  fine;  and,  wrapping  themselves  up  in  their 
warmest  clothing,  and  arming  themselves  with  pick  and 
shovel,  they  set  out  to  discover  if  possible  what  lay  con- 
cealed beneath  the  two  queer-looking  poles. 


CHAPTER  XL 

AN   INTERESTING   RELIC. 


HEY  issued  from  the  ship  through  the  trap-door 
in  her  bottom;  and  no  sooner  did  they  find 
themselves  in  the  open  air  than  an  almost  un- 
controllable impulse  seized  them  to  go  back  again.  The 
contrast  between  the  warm  comfortable  temperature  of 
the  ship's  interior  and  the  bitter  piercing  cold  without 
was  so  great  that  at  first  the  latter  felt  quite  unendurable. 
They,  however,  persevered ;  and,  after  perhaps  ten  minutes 
of  intense  suffering,  the  severe  exercise  of  scrambling 
over  the  rotten  slippery  hummocks  somewhat  restored 
their  impeded  circulation,  and  they  began  to  feel  that, 
perhaps,  after  all,  they  might  be  able  to  do  something 
toward  the  execution  of  their  self-imposed  task.  The 
mere  act  of  breathing,  however,  continued  to  be  exceed- 
ingly painful;  and  when  they  at  length  reached  the  spot 
of  which  they  were  in  search,  they  were  able  to  fully 
realize,  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives,  the  incredible 
difficulties  attendant  upon  the  exploration  of  the  regions 
within  the  polar  circles. 

On  a  nearer  inspection  of  the  two  poles  they  proved  to 
be  stout  spars  about  the  thickness  of  a  man's  leg;  and. 


AN   INTERESTING   ANNOUNCEMENT.  171 

from  the  appearance  in  each  of  a  sort  of  sheave-hole, 
Lieutenant  Mild  may  declared  his  conviction  that  they 
were  the  masts  of  a  small  ship.  They  were  very  rotten, 
however,  and,  if  Mildmay's  surmise  was  indeed  correct, 
the  craft  must  have  been  under  the  ice  for  a  very  long 
time.  The  mere  suggestion  was  enough  to  fully  arouse 
their  curiosity;  and,  forgetful  for  the  moment  of  the  in- 
tense cold,  to  which  they  were  already  in  a  measure  grow- 
ing accustomed,  they  set  to  work  with  a  will  plying 
pick-axe  and  shovel  upon  the  ice  with  such  small  dex- 
terity as  they  possessed. 

The  task  to  which  they  had  devoted  themselves  was, 
after  all,  not  a  very  difficult  one,  the  ice,  especially  that 
of  ancient  formation,  yielding  readily  before  the  vigorous 
strokes  of  their  picks;  and  it  soon  became  evident  that 
they  could  work  to  greater  advantage  by  dividing  them- 
selves into  two  gangs  of  two  each;  one  gang  breaking  up 
the  ice  with  the  pick,  and  the  other  shovelling  away  the 
debris.  The  low  temperature,  however,  made  the  work 
very  exhausting;  and  by  lunch  time  they  had  only  suc- 
ceeded in  excavating  a  hole  some  twenty-five  feet  long — 
or  the  distance  between  the  two  masts — by  six  feet  wide 
and  four  feet  deep.  They  had  widened  this  excavation 
by  a  couple  of  feet  and  sunk  it  some  four  feet  deeper  by 
six  o'clock  that  evening;  and  then  they  knocked  off  work 
for  the  day,  returning  to  the  Flying  Fish  stiff,  and  ex- 
hausted with  their  unwonted  exertions,  but  with  more 
voracious  appetites  than  they  ever  remembered  experi- 
encing before. 

In  this  way  they  laboured  day  after  day  for  ten  days; 
being  greatly  hindered  in  their  operations  by  frequent 
showers  of  snow,  which  filled  up  their  excavation  almost 


172  THE  VIKING  SHIP. 

as  rapidly  as  they  made  it,  until,  beginning  to  lose  patience 
at  their  slow  progress,  they  resolved  to  run  a  little  risk, 
and  the  professor  was  induced  to  employ  a  minute  por- 
tion of  his  explosive  compound  in  blowing  away  the  sides 
of  the  pit  to  a  sufficient  extent  to  allow  of  the  snow  drift- 
ing out  with  the  wind  instead  of  lodging  in  the  bottom. 
This  engineering  feat  was  successfully  accomplished  with- 
out apparent  damage  to  the  object  they  sought  to  bring 
to  light;  and,  thus  encouraged,  they  further  cautiously 
employed  the  compound  in  breaking  up  the  ice,  with  the 
triumphant  result  that,  on  the  evening  of  the  thirteenth 
day  before  giving  up  work,  they  succeeded  in  uncovering 
the  deck  of  a  craft  measuring  eighty  feet  long  over  all 
by  sixteen  feet  beam.  They  were  now  intensely  excited 
and  elated,  as  they  had  every  reason  to  believe  that — 
judging  from  certain  peculiarities  of  build  which  had 
already  revealed  themselves — they  had  discovered  a  most 
interesting  relic. 

The  next  morning  was  most  fortunately  as  fine  as  they 
could  reasonably  expect  it  to  be  in  that  stormy  and  de- 
solate region;  and,  commencing  work  at  an  early  hour — 
having,  moreover,  by  this  time  acquired  quite  a  respect- 
able dexterity  in  the  use  of  their  tools — they  succeeded 
by  lunch  time  in  laying  completely  bare  the  entire  hull 
of  what  proved  most  unmistakably  to  be  a  veritable 
ancient  Viking  ship. 

This  intensely  interesting  relic  was,  as  already  stated, 
eighty  feet  long  by  sixteen  feet  beam;  with  a  depth  of 
hold  in  midships,  as  they  now  found,  of  eight  feet ;  she 
must  therefore  have  been  at  the  time  of  her  launch  quite 
a  noble  specimen  of  naval  architecture.  She  was  of  course 
built  of  wood,  and  was  beautifully  moulded  fore  and  aft; 


THE   EQUIPMENT   OF  THE   SHIP.  173 

her  stem  and  stern-posts  were  carried  to  a  height  of  five 
feet  above  her  rail ;  and  the  former  was  finished  off*  with 
a  rather  roughly  hewn  but  vigorously  modelled  horse's 
head,  whilst  the  latter  terminated  in  an  elaborately  carved 
piece  of  scroll-work.  She  was  fully  decked,  with  a  sort 
of  monkey-poop  aft,  about  two  and  a  half  feet  high  and 
twenty  feet  long,  beneath  which  was  her  principal  cabin. 
Her  bulwarks  and  rail  were  very  solidly  constructed ;  the 
former  being  pierced  with  rowlock  holes  for  sixteen  oars 
or  sweeps  of  a  side,  in  addition  to  holes  abaft,  one  on  each 
side  of,  and  near  the  stern-post,  for  the  short  broad- 
bladed  steering  paddles.  Both  of  these  paddles,  together 
with  twenty-three  oars  and  two  square  sails,  shaped  some- 
what like  lugs  and  still  attached  to  their  yards,  were 
found  stowed  fore  and  aft  amidships  on  the  vessel's  deck. 
They  were  all  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation,  as 
were  also  the  lower  portions  of  the  masts;  indeed  it  was 
only  that  portion  of  these  spars  which  had  been  long 
exposed  to  the  air  which  showed  signs  of  rot,  the  upper 
extremities  being  most  rotten,  whilst  the  parts  close  to 
the  deck  were  perfectly  sound. 

Having  fully  satisfied  their  curiosity  with  regard  to 
the  exterior  of  this  interesting  craft,  they  next  essayed 
to  penetrate  below  by  forcing  open  the  after  hatch.  On 
removing  the  cover  a  small  and  almost  perpendicular 
ladder  was  revealed,  down  which  Mildmay  rapidly  made 
his  way.  On  reaching  the  bottom  he  found  himself  in  a 
small  vestibule  or  ante-room,  the  floor,  sides,  and  ceiling 
of  which  were  thickly  cased  with  smooth  glassy  ice,  long 
icicles  of  varying  thicknesses  also  depending  from  the 
beams  and  deck  planking  overhead.  He  could  trace  the 
existence  of  a  door  in  the  middle  of  the  bulkhead  facinor 


174  THE   CABIN   OF  THE   VIKING   SHIP. 

him;  but  it  was  hermetically  sealed  with  the  thick  coat- 
inof  of  ice  hefore  mentioned,  and  the  removal  of  this  oc- 
cupied  over  half  an  hour.  Whilst  he  was  thus  engaged 
the  rest  of  the  party  at  his  suggestion  returned  to  the 
Flying  Fish  for  the  small  electric  lamps  used  in  their 
diving  operations;  and  when  they  returned  he  was  just 
about  ready  to  force  open  the  door  of  the  after  cabin. 
This  was  accomplished  without  much  difficulty,  and  a 
faint  sickly  odour  at  once  became  apparent,  issuing  from 
the  interior  of  the  cabin. 

Consumed  by  curiosity,  the  party  pressed  eagerly  for- 
ward through  the  doorway,  and  a  most  extraordinary 
sight  at  once  revealed  itself.  The  cabin  was  a  tolerably 
roomy  apartment  for  the  size  of  the  vessel,  having  for 
furniture  a  solid  handsomely  carved  oaken  table  in  the 
centre,  shaped  to  suit  the  narrowing  dimensions  of  the 
vessel  abaft,  and  side  benches  or  lockers  all  round  the 
sides.  The  walls  or  inner  planking  of  the  ship  were 
thickly  covered  with  seal,  walrus,  and  white  bear  skins, 
evidently  hung  there  to  prevent,  as  far  as  possible,  the 
penetration  of  the  extreme  cold  through  the  ship's  sides; 
and  upon  large  nails,  driven  through  these  and  into  the 
planks,  were  hung  various  trophies  of  weapons,  such  as 
long  two-handed  swords,  small  shields  or  targets,  maces 
with  heavy  iron- spiked  heads,  short-handled  battle-axes, 
spears,  unstrung  bows,  and  quivers  of  arrows.  But  it  was 
not  these  objects,  interesting  as  they  were,  which  first 
riveted  the  attention  of  the  intruders;  it  was  upon  the 
occupants  of  the  cabin  that  their  startled  glances  fixed 
themselves.  Yes,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  four  nine- 
teenth-century travellers  found  themselves  face  to  face 
with  some  at  least  of  the  hardy  crew  who  had  stood  on 


THE   OCCUPANTS   OF  THE   CABIN.  175 

the  deck  waving  their  last  good-bye  to  wives,  children,  or 
sweethearts — who  shall  say  how  many  years  ago? — when 
that  stout  galley  swept  out  of  harbour  with  pennons 
flying,  oars  flashing,  and  arms  glancing,  maybe,  in  the 
brilliant  sunshine,  as  she  started  on  the  enterprise  of 
wild  adventure  from  which  she  was  never  to  return. 
The  inmates  were  four  in  number.  Three  of  them  were 
reclining  on  the  lockers,  their  heads  pillowed  upon,  and 
their  bodies  thickly  covered  with  skins,  whilst  the  fourth, 
doubtless  the  master  spirit  of  the  expedition,  sat  as  in  life 
at  the  narrow  or  after  end  of  the  table,  his  body  supported 
in  a  massive  quaintly  carved  oaken  chair. 

The  bodies,  the  floor,  the  table,  and  every  article  in  the 
cabin  were  thickly  coated  with  frost-rime,  which  glittered 
with  a  diamond-like  lustre  in  the  cold  keen  light  of  the 
electric  lamps,  and  the  first  act  of  the  visitors  was  to  care- 
fully remove  and  clear  away  this  frost  coating.  To  their 
intense  satisfaction  this  task  was  accomplished  by  gentle 
brushing  without  the  slightest  difficulty,  and  they  were 
then  able  to  minutely  inspect  the  bodies  of  these  ancient 
sea  kings.  They  were  in  a  state  of  surprisingly  perfect 
preservation,  and  indeed  had  the  appearance  of  having 
only  recently  fallen  asleep,  the  intense  cold  having  seized 
upon  them  with  such  fierce  rapidity  that  their  bodies  had 
completely  congealed  before  even  the  primary  stages  of 
decay  had  had  time  to  manifest  themselves.  Indeed, 
judging  from  appearances,  they  had  succumbed,  in  the 
first  instance,  to  starvation,  and,  overcome  by  weakness, 
had  been  frozen  to  death.  They  were  all  of  lofty  stature 
and  muscular  build,  with  fair  hair  and  tawny  beards  and 
moustaches,  the  latter  worn  extremely  long.  They  were 
fully  clad,  all  in  garments  of  the  same  general  character. 


176  THE   PARCHMENT   CHART. 

excepting  that  those  of  the  seated  figure  appeared  to  be 
of  somewhat  finer  material  than  those  of  his  companions. 
These  garments,  the  outer  ones,  that  is  to  say,  consisted 
of  a  thick  leathern  tunic  confined  at  the  waist  by  a  broad 
belt,  and  leather  drawers  reaching  from  the  waist  to  the 
ankles,  thick  leather  socks  or  stockings,  and  sandals  laced 
to  the  feet  and  legs  by  leather  thongs.  The  tunic  of  the 
chief  was  elaborately  embroidered  on  the  breast  in  silk, 
a  winged  black  horse  being  the  central  and  most  con- 
spicuous design.  The  trophy  hanging  at  the  back  of  the 
sitter's  chair  consisted  of  a  small  circular  shield,  with  a 
formidable  axe,  double-handed  sword,  and  mace  crossing 
each  other,  behind  it,  the  whole  being  surmounted  by  a 
handsome  bronze  head^Jece,  or  helmet  without  a  visor, 
having  a  large  pair  of  finely  modelled  wings  starting  from 
the  sides  and  near  the  crown.  The  helmets  of  the  other 
three  occupants  were  of  similar  shape,  but  without  orna- 
ment of  any  kind.  Two  drinking  horns  were  upon  the 
table,  one  being  plainly  mounted  in  bronze,  and  the  other 
elaborately  mounted  in  silver  and  supported  upon  three 
legs  modelled  after  those  of  the  horse,  the  fourth  leg 
being  lifted  in  the  attitude  of  pawing  the  ground. 

But  perhaps  the  most  interesting  object  of  all  was  a 
sheet  of  parchment  which  lay  stretched  upon  the  table 
before  the  sitter,  and  which  he  had  evidently  been  study- 
ing when  the  drowsiness  of  death  seized  him,  and,  sinking 
back  in  his  chair,  he  had  closed  his  eyes  for  ever.  This 
parchment  was,  of  course,  stiff  with  the  frost  of  centuries; 
but  by  exercising  the  utmost  care  the  finders  succeeded 
in  conveying  it  intact  to  the  Flying  Fish,  and  in  thawing 
it  out,  when  it  was  found  to  be  covered  with  a  rude  but 
vigorously  drawn  sketch  or  chart,  representing  with  sur- 


A  MYSTERIOUS   ISLAND.  177 

prising  accuracy  o£  outline — but  without  much  attention 
to  scale — the  whole  of  the  channel  between  the  west  coast 
of  Greenland  and  the  east  coast  of  America,  and  showing, 
at  the  top  or  northern  margin,  an  irregular  line  evidently 
intended  to  represent  land.  And  in  the  top  left-hand 
corner  of  the  chart  was  a  square  space  marked  off  as  a 
separate  and  distinct  chart,  the  centre  of  which  was  oc- 
cupied by  an  island,  the  southern  coast-line  of  which  cor- 
responded in  shape  with  the  line  drawn  next  the  northern 
margin  of  the  main  or  principal  chart.  Eudely  drawn 
figures  of  the  whale,  narwhal,  walrus,  seal,  and  polar  bear 
were  sketched  here  and  there  upon  the  chart,  as  though 
to  indicate  spots  where  these  animals  had  been  seen  by 
the  author  of  the  document;  and  on  the  island  shown  in 
the  small  subsidiary  chart,  great  numbers  of  animals  were 
drawn,  among  those  represented  being  hares,  foxes,  deer, 
seals,  and  elephants,  besides  others  which  the  travellers 
failed  to  identify.  There  was  also  a  sketch  of  a  ship — 
very  similar  in  appearance  to  the  craft  from  which  the 
chart  had  been  taken — represented  as  sailing  away  from 
the  island.  This  particular  sketch  was  the  source  of  much 
speculation  on  the  part  of  the  quartette;  Sir  Reginald  and 
the  colonel  being  disposed  to  regard  it  as  an  insertion  for 
the  purpose  merely  of  giving  a  more  effective  appearance 
to  the  chart,  whilst  the  professor  and  Mildmay  were  of 
opinion  that  it  was  intended  to  convey  an  intimation 
that  the  mysterious  island  had  actually  been  visited. 

The  above  particulars,  it  need  scarcely  be  said,  were 
ascertained  and  the  surmises  discussed  after  dinner  that 
day;  the  party  not  leaving  the  galley  until  they  had 
effected  a  thorough  and  exhaustive  examination  of  her 
from  stem  to  stern.    They  found  little  else  of  interest  on 

(359)  M 


178  COMPLETION   OF  THE   INVESTIGATION. 

board  her,  however,  except  ten  more  bodies  in  the  large 
fore-cabin  or  forecastle  of  the  craft.  The  store-rooms  oc- 
cupied the  central  portion  of  the  vessel,  being  accessible 
only  from  the  after  end,  and  the  fact  that  they  were  clean 
swept  of  everything  which  could  hj  any  possibility  have 
served  for  food,  tended  to  confirm  the  impression  that  the 
expedition  had  perished  of  starvation.  One  or  two  docu- 
ments and  a  massive  vellum-bound  book  were  discovered, 
and  these,  together  with  some  of  the  armour  and  weapons 
found  on  board,  were  taken  possession  of,  but  the  docu- 
ments and  book  proved  to  be  written  in  a  tongue  wholly 
unknown  to  either  of  the  discoverers,  and  they  were 
therefore  destined  to  remain  for  some  time  longer  in 
ignorance  of  the  history  of  the  long-lost  expedition.  One 
fact  only  was  it  possible  to  discover  in  connection  with  it, 
which  was  that  the  hardy  and  resolute  crew  had  un- 
doubtedly cut  their  way  for  a  very  considerable  distance 
into  the  heart  of  that  vast  field  of  everlastino^  ice.  This 
was  most  conclusively  ascertained  by  Sir  Reginald  and 
his  friends,  who,  on  board  the  Flying  Fish,  were  able  to 
follow  quite  unmistakable  traces  of  the  channel  cut  by 
the  unknown  explorers  for  a  distance  of  fully  forty  miles 
to  the  southward  of  the  galley  itself. 

The  examination  of  this  strange  and  interesting  craft 
being  at  length  completed,  the  cabin  doors  were  closed, 
the  hatches  replaced,  and  the  ship,  with  all  that  she  con- 
tained, left  to  the  mercy  of  the  weather,  there  being  no 
doubt  that  the  excavation  so  laboriously  accomplished 
would  soon  be  again  filled  up  by  the  almost  ceaseless 
snow-fall,  and  the  ship  again  concealed  in  all  probability 
for  ever. 

The  first  thing  after  breakfast  on  the  following  morn- 


INTENSE   COLD.  179 

ing,  the  northward  journey  was  resumed  in  the  face  of  a 
perfect  hurricane  from  the  northward,  accompanied  by  so 
tremendous  and  incessant  a  fall  of  snow  that  it  was  utterly 
impossible  to  see  anything  at  a  distance  of  more  than 
twenty  feet  in  any  direction.  It  was,  of  course,  quite  out 
of  the  question  for  anyone  to  venture  outside  the  door  of 
the  pilot-house  in  such  terrible  weather;  and  the  cold  even 
inside  on  the  steering  platform  was  so  intense  that  the 
breath  of  the  travellers  was  condensed  on  their  moustaches, 
and,  instantly  congealing,  rapidly  formed  into  a  mass  of 
ice  which  effectually  prevented  the  opening  of  their 
mouths.  An  attempt  was  made  to  elude  the  storm  by 
rising  into  the  higher  regions  of  the  atmosphere;  but  the 
cold  there  proved  to  be  so  unbearable,  notwithstanding 
the  protection  afforded  by  the  stubbornly  non-conducting 
material  of  which  the  Flying  Fish  was  built,  that  they 
were  compelled  to  descend  once  more,  and  their  journey 
was  continued  at  about  a  height  of  one  thousand  feet  above 
the  ice,  and  at  a  speed  of  ninety  miles  per  hour,  at  which 
rate  of  travel  they  considered  that  they  were  stemming 
the  gale,  and  perhaps  actually  progressing  to  windward 
some  ten  miles  or  so  every  hour. 

The  dreary  day  lagged  slowly  on,  with  the  occurrence 
of  no  event  of  importance,  until  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  at  which  time  the  travellers  became  conscious 
of  a  decided  rise  of  temperature.  By  five  o'clock  the 
cold  had  so  greatly  diminished  that  they  were  compelled 
to  throw  off  their  thick  fur  outer  clothing;  and  half  an 
hour  later,  the  thick  dreadnought  jackets,  which  consti- 
tuted their  ordinary  outer  covering  in  bad  weather,  were 
also  discarded;  the  snow  meanwhile  giving  place  to  sleet, 
and  the  sleet  in  its  turn  yielding  to  a  deluge  of  driving  rain. 


180  AN   OPEN   POLAR   SEA. 

And,  whilst  they  were  still  wondering  what  this  singular 
phenomenon  might  portend,  a  hoarse  low  muffled  roar, 
accompanied  by  an  occasional  grinding  crash,  smote  upon 
their  ears  through  the  heavy  swish  of  the  rain;  the  dull 
white  monotonous  expanse  of  the  ice-field  was  abruptly 
broken  into  by  a  jagged  irregular-shaped  black  blot 
ahead;  and,  almost  before  they  had  time  to  realize  the 
extraordinary  change,  the  Flying  Fish  had  swept  beyond 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  immense  expanse  of 
paleocrystic  ice,  and  was  careering  northward,  at  an 
elevation  of  about  a  thousand  feet,  above  the  surface  of 
a  liquid  sea  which  raged  and  chafed  and  tossed  its  foamy 
arms  to  heaven  under  the  influence  of  the  fast-diminish- 
ing gale. 

"  Hurrah!"  ejaculated  the  professor;  "hurrah!  Scoresby 
and  Kane  spoke  the  truth;  and  my  pet  theory  turns  out 
to  be  correct,  after  all.  Gentlemen,  look  round  and  feast 
your  eyes  upon  the  glorious  spectacle  of  an  open  Polar 
Sea!'' 

Whether  it  actually  was  an  open  sea,  or  only  an  un- 
usually wide  channel  between  two  ice-fields,  was  now  the 
question  to  be  settled.  It  certainly  looked  like  the 
former;  it  was  completely  free  of  floating  ice,  large  or 
small,  except  the  cakes  which  were  broken  away  by  the 
waves  from  the  edge  of  the  enormous  floe  just  left  behind, 
and  they  were  kept  by  the  wind  close  to  their  parent 
mass;  the  sea  ran  so  high  and  was  so  regular  as  to  con- 
vey the  idea  of  a  very  considerable  extent  of  "  fetch;"  and, 
lastly,  there  was  neither  ice  nor  ice-blink  to  be  seen  any- 
where along  the  whole  stretch  of  the  northern  horizon. 

Impatient  to  solve  this  momentous  and  interesting 
question,  the  Flying  Fish  was  pushed   to  her  utmost 


A   CHANGE   OF   WEATHER.  181 

speed,  causing  her  to  make  headway  over  the  ground, 
and  against  the  fresh  breeze  still  blowing,  at  a  pace  of 
about  ninety  miles  per  hour.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  later 
the  rain  ceased,  and  the  flying  ship  plunged  into  the 
midst  of  a  dense  fog,  so  thick  that  it  was  impossible  to 
see  even  so  far  as  the  guard-rail  on  either  side  of  the 
deck.  The  temperature  had  by  this  time,  however,  risen 
to  tJiirty -three  degrees  above  zero  {Fahrenheit),  and  the 
travellers  therefore  at  once  resolved  to  again  brave  the 
rigours  of  the  upper  atmosphere.  An  immediate  ascent 
was  accordingly  made,  with  the  satisfactory  result,  that 
at  an  elevation  of  three  thousand  feet  above  the  sea-level 
they  found  themselves  once  more  clear  of  the  fog,  with 
no  perceptible  fall  of  the  thermometer,  and  with  a  clear 
view  ahead.  Twenty  minutes  more  of  travelling,  and 
the  northern  skirts  of  the  fog-bank  were  past,  the  clouds 
broke  away,  and  the  westering  sun  cast  his  ruddy  beams 
upon  the  surface  of  the  heaving  waters.  The  sea  was 
still  without  a  vestige  of  ice,  and  the  horizon  was  perfectly 
clear  ahead. 

Consumed  with  enthusiasm  and  impatience,  the  travel- 
lers now  eflfected  a  descent  to  the  surface  of  the  sea,  that 
having  been  proved  to  be  the  situation  in  which  the 
Flying  Fish  made  her  greatest  speed,  and  the  journey 
was  promptly  proceeded  with.  A  further  run  of  twenty 
miles  found  them  beneath  a  cloudless  sky,  with  the  wind, 
soft  and  balmy,  fallen  to  the  gentlest  of  zephyrs,  and  the 
temperature  risen  to  the  extraordinary  height  of  forty- 
five  degrees  above  zero.  Their  delight,  especially  that  of 
the  professor,  was  excessive  at  this  wonderful  change  in 
their  surroundings  within  so  short  a  time;  indeed  von 
Schalckenberg    became    positively   extravagant    in   his 


182  NEARING   THE   NORTH   POLE. 

demonstrations,  dancing  about  the  deck  like  a  schoolboy, 
laughing,  cheering,  clapping  his  hands,  and  uttering  the 
most  extraordinary  prophecies  as  to  what  awaited  them 
at  the  now  not  far  distant  pole.  The  moment  was  favour- 
able for  an  astronomical  observation;  and  the  ship,  not- 
withstanding their  eagerness  to  press  forward,  was 
accordingly  stopped  for  a  few  minutes  to  take  the  neces- 
sary sights,  after  which  "Northward  ho!"  again  became 
their  watchword.  A  few  minutes  sufficed  Mildmay  to 
complete  his  calculations,  and  then,  amidst  vociferous 
cheering  on  the  part  of  his  companions,  he  announced  to 
them  the  gratifying  intelligence  that  they  had  approached 
to  within  a  distance  of  only  one  hundred  and  sixty 
miles  of  the  North  Pole, 

At  the  moment  when  this  announcement  was  made  it 
was  exactly  ten  minutes  after  six  o'clock  p.m.  The 
speed  gauge  showed  that  the  Flying  Fish  was  then 
making  her  way  through  the  water  at  the  rate  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  per  hour;  in  a  trifle  over 
one  hour  more,  therefore,  if  nothing  prevented,  they 
would  reach  the  goal  of  their  northward  journey.  Their 
enthusiasm  became  almost  painful  in  its  intensity;  and 
as  the  Flying  Fish  rushed  at  headlong  speed  through  the 
rippling  waters,  tossing  the  wavelets  aside  in  a  great 
outward- curling  fringe  of  sparkling  foam,  and  as  the 
minutes  lagged  slowly  away,  the  eyes  of  the  quartette  in 
the  pilot-house  were  strained  with  ever- increasing  inten- 
sity in  their  vain  efforts  to  pierce  the  mysteries  of  the 
horizon  ahead. 

At  exactly  twenty  minutes  to  seven  o'clock,  Mildmay 
electrified  his  companions,  and  put  the  finishing  touch  to 
their  excitement,  by  raising  an  exultant  shout  of : 


"LAND   ho!"  183 

"Land  ho!" 

"  Where  ? "  "  Show  it  me ! "  "  I  can't  see  it.  You  must 
be  mistaken!"  exclaimed  his  companions  in  chorus,  after 
a  breathless  moment  of  vain  peering  into  the  pearly- 
northern  horizon. 

"  There  it  is,  directly  ahead,  looking  just  like  the  edge 
of  a  flat  gray  cloud  showing  above  the  water's  edge,"  was 
the  reply. 

Sure  enough  it  ivas  land;  for  when  once  their  eyes  had 
been  directed  to  the  proper  point  there  was  little  difficulty 
in  discerning  it.  Moreover,  as  the  ship  sped  on,  it  rose 
rapidly  above  the  horizon,  the  gray  tint  growing  every 
moment  darker  and  more  distinct,  and  a  few  minutes 
later  otlier  land,  more  sharply  defined  in  outline  and 
more  distinctive  in  colour,  rose  above  the  horizon  imme- 
diately below  it,  showing  that  the  table-land  first  made 
out  lay  at  some  distance  from  the  southern  shore. 

And  at  this  auspicious  moment  the  sea  began  to  exhibit 
signs  of  the  life  which  teemed  within  its  depths.  An 
accidental  glance  astern  showed  an  enormous  school  of 
whales  spouting  on  the  southern  horizon;  porpoises  undu- 
lated sportively  to  windward;  a  troop  of  dolphins  sud- 
denly appeared  for  a  moment  alongside  the  ship,  evidently 
straining  every  nerve  to  keep  pace  with  her;  and  an 
occasional  sea-otter  rose  now  and  then  to  the  surface  of 
the  placid  sea,  to  dive  out  of  sight  again  the  next  instant 
in  quite  a  ridiculous  state  of  consternation  at  so  unwonted 
a  sight  as  the  rushing  form  of  the  Flying  Fish.  Flocks 
of  sea-birds  of  various,  and  indeed  some  of  hitherto 
unknown,  kinds  next  made  their  appearance,  indus- 
triously pursuing  their  avocation  of  fishermen,  and — un- 
like the  sea-otters — paying  little  or  no  attention  to  their 


184  THE  PROFESSOR   IS   SURPRISED. 

strange  visitors.  And  finally,  as  they  drew  nearer  in 
with  the  land,  seals  of  various  kinds  were  passed,  sport- 
ively chasing  each  other,  and  pausing  for  a  moment  to 
raise  their  heads  inquisitively  and  turn  their  mild  glances 
upon  the  flying  ship. 

When  within  some  ten  miles  of  the  land,  it  was  deemed 
advisable  to  rise  out  of  the  water  and  to  complete  the 
journey  at  a  few  feet  above  its  surface,  thus  taking  the 
most  effectual  of  precautions  against  accidental  collision 
with  a  sunken  rock.  As  the  ship  drew  in  still  closer 
with  the  land,  her  speed  was  reduced;  and,  at  a  quarter 
after  seven  o'clock  on  that  calm  July  evening,  she  once 
more  settled  down,  like  a  wearied  sea-fowl,  upon  the 
surface  of  the  water,  and  let  go  her  anchor  in  a  depth 
of  twelve  fathoms,  at  a  distance  of  half  a  mile  from  the 
shore,  in  a  fine  roomy  well-sheltered  bay  of  crescent  form, 
the  two  horns  or  outer  extremities  of  which  rose  sheer 
out  of  the  water  in  the  form  of  a  pair  of  bold  rocky 
spurs,  backed  up  on  the  landward  side  by  a  sweep  of  low 
grassy  hills,  crowned,  at  a  short  distance  from  the  shore, 
with  a  forest  of  majestic  pines. 

"Well!"  ejaculated  the  professor,  as  he  finally  turned 
away  and  went  below  to  dinner,  after  feasting  his  eyes 
on  the  splendid  landscape,  gloriously  lighted  up  by  the 
rays  of  the  evening  sun,  "  I  was  prepared  to  see  many 
unexpected  sights  in  the  event  of  our  reaching  the  North 
Pole,  but  grass  and  trees! — well,  T  was  not  prepared  to 
find  them'' 


CHAPTER  XII. 


ANOTHER   STARTLING   DISCOVERY. 


OTWITHSTANDING  the  state  of  excitement 
which  the  travellers  had  been  thrown  into  by 
the  successful  accomplishment  of  this,  the  first, 
and,  perhaps,  the  most  difficult  part  of  their  novel  enter- 
prise, they  managed  to  secure  a  tolerably  sound  night's 
rest — if  one  may  venture  to  term  night  any  part  of  the 
twenty-four  hours  at  that  season  and  in  that  region, 
where  the  sun  had  never  once  sunk  beneath  the  horizon 
since  the  twenty-first  of  the  preceding  March,  and  where 
the  day  had  still  two  months  more  to  run  before  it  should 
wane  into  the  long  six-months'  night  of  winter.  But,  as 
might  be  expected,  they  were  up  bright  and  early  on  the 
following  morning,  eager  to  explore  this  strange  new 
polar  land,  and  scarcely  patient  enough  to  sit  down  and 
consume  with  becoming  leisure  the  appetizing  breakfast 
which  the  still  imperturbable  George  had  provided  for 
them. 

The  meal,  however,  like  most  other  matters,  had  an 
end  at  last;  and  the  travellers  felt  themselves  free  to 
follow  the  bent  of  their  impatient  inclinations.  But  the 
expedition  upon  which  they  were  about  to  enter  was  one 
not  to  be  undertaken  without  due  foresight  and  prepara- 


186  AN   EXPLORING  EXPEDITION. 

tion.  It  was  only  to  be  a  preliminary  exploration,  it  is 
true,  only  a  journey  of  some  three  or  four  miles  into  the 
interior;  but  the  country  and  the  climate  having  already 
proved  so  extraordinarily  at  variance  with  all  their  pre- 
conceived ideas,  who  could  say  what  new  and  strange 
forms  of  animal  life  might  not  possibly  be  lurking  within 
those  vast  forest  depths?  It  therefore  behoved  them  to 
adopt  at  least  a  reasonable  amount  of  precaution,  and  so 
to  equip  themselves  that,  in  the  event  of  their  encoun- 
tering new  and  hitherto  unsuspected  dangers,  they  might 
not  find  themselves  in  a  wholly  defenceless  condition. 

The  question  of  the  kind  of  clothing  to  be  worn  was 
soon  settled.  The  temperature  stood  at  the  extraordinary 
height  (for  that  latitude)  of  fifty-seven  degrees  Fahren- 
heit; and  the  air,  actually  cool  and  bracing,  felt  almost 
oppressively  warm  to  them  after  the  rigours  of  the  paleo- 
crystic  ice-field;  they  therefore  donned  a  suit  of  rough 
serviceable  cloth  of  moderate  thickness,  and  stout  water- 
proof leather  walking  boots.  Then,  for  arms,  as  they 
were  merely  going  on  a  reconnoitring  and  not  a  hunting 
expedition,  they  decided  to  take  their  large-bore  repeating 
rifles,  which,  with  the  explosive  shells  constituting  their 
ammunition,  would  enable  the  explorers  to  face  anything. 
And  lastly,  as  accident  or  design  might  cause  them  to 
extend  their  ramble  beyond  its  originally  intended  limits, 
they  adopted  the  precaution  of  providing  themselves  each 
with  a  small  light  knapsack  of  provisions.  Thus  equipped 
they  proceeded  on  deck,  raised  the  two  boats  with  their 
davits  out  of  the  snug  belovv-deck  compartments  in  which 
they  had  hitherto  been  concealed,  and,  lowering  the 
smaller  boat  of  the  two,  stepped  into  her,  and  were 
quickly  conveyed  to  the  shore. 


AN   ANNOYING   DISCOVERY.  187 

It  was  with  a  curiously  mingled  feeling  of  awe  and 
exultation  that  they  sprang  from  the  boat  to  the  strand, 
and  planted  their  feet  for  the  first  time  upon  this  hitherto 
unknown  and  unvisited  ground. 

"Behold!"  exclaimed  the  baronet,  pointing  to  their 
footprints  in  the  sand;  "behold  the  first  human  foot- 
prints ever  impressed  upon  this  soil."  And  stepping 
rapidly  forward  until  he  had  passed  beyond  the  high- 
water  mark,  he  unfurled  a  small  union-jack  w^hich  he 
carried  in  his  hand,  and,  forcing  the  butt-end  of  the  staff 
into  the  yielding  sand,  exclaimed: 

''  In  the  name  of  her  most  gracious  majesty  Victoria, 
Queen  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  I  annex  this  land  as 
a  dependency  of  the  British  crown!" 

Then  they  all  took  off  their  hats  and  gave  three  cheers 
for  the  queen;  after  which  Colonel  Lethbridge  proposed 
that  the  newly-discovered  country  be  called  "Elphinstone 
Land,"  a  proposition  which  was  carried  with  acclamation 
by  a  majority  of  three  to  one,  the  dissenting  voice  being 
that  of  the  baronet,  who  modestly  disclaimed  the  honour 
of  having  the  country  named  after  himself. 

But  were  theirs,  after  all,  the  first  human  footprints 
which  had  ever  been  impressed  upon  that  soil?  A  de- 
cided answer  in  the  negative  awaited  them ;  for  they  had 
not  advanced  very  many  yards  from  the  shore  when  they 
came  upon  an  object  which,  upon  examination,  proved  to 
be  an  ancient  and  much-rusted  spear-head  broken  short 
off,  but  with  some  six  inches  of  the  haft  still  attached  to 
it.  The  travellers  felt  greatly  disconcerted  at  this  dis- 
covery; it  robbed  them  at  once  irretrievably  of  the  honour 
of  being  the  first  discoverers  of  the  North  Pole,  and 
showed  them  that,  at  some  unknown  period  in  the  remote 


188  AN   INTERESTING   SPECULATION. 

past,  there  must  have  existed  a  man,  or  more  probably  a 
body  of  men,  who,  not  only  without  the  exceptional  faci- 
lities offered  by  the  possession  of  such  a  ship  as  the  Fly- 
ing Fish,  but  with,  in  all  probability,  ships  infinitely 
inferior  to  the  worst  of  those  used  by  modern  explorers, 
had  actually  achieved  the  hitherto  deemed  impossible 
feat  of  piercing  the  great  ice-barrier  and  actually  reach- 
ing the  northern  pole  of  the  earth. 

Who  were  they?  Of  what  country  could  they  pos- 
sibly have  been  natives  ?  And  why  was  the  fact  of  their 
important  discovery  suffered  to  sink  into  oblivion  ?  Such 
were  the  questions  which  at  once  rose  to  the  minds  of 
the  baronet  and  his  companions,  and  to  which  their  lips 
spontaneously  gave  utterance. 

"  I  think  there  can  be  little  doubt  as  to  who  and  what 
they  were,"  remarked  the  professor.  "  They  were  Vikings; 
and  their  leader  it  must  unquestionably  have  been  who 
drew  the  chart  found  by  us  in  the  Viking  ship  buried  in 
the  ice  of  the  paleocrystic  sea.  It  is  his  ship  which  we 
see  delineated  upon  the  chart;  this  is  the  land  from  which 
she  is  represented  as  sailing  triumphantly  away;  and  it 
was  doubtless  this  land  which  the  Viking  ship,  discovered 
by  us,  was  making  so  desperate  an  effort  to  reach  when 
death  claimed  her  crew  as  its  prey.  The  other  question, 
as  to  why  the  discovery  of  this  land  was  suffered  to  re- 
main an  unknown  fact,  is  not  by  any  means  so  easy  to 
answer.  Perhaps  the  man  before  whose  dead  body  the 
chart  lay  spread  open  upon  the  table  may  have  been  its 
author  and  the  original  discoverer  of  this  land;  perhaps 
the  ship  represented  on  the  chart  and  the  ship  discovered 
by  us  may  have  been  one  and  the  same;  she  may  have 
been  on  her  homeward  voyage;  and,  finding  the  channels 


A   FURTHER  DISCOVERY.  189 

to  the  southward  completely  blocked  with  ice,  may  have 
been  attempting  to  force  her  way  back  into  the  open 
Polar  Sea  when  her  fate  overtook  her." 

"But,  admitting  for  the  moment  that  such  may  pos- 
sibly have  been  the  case,"  remarked  the  baronet,  "  how 
do  you  account  for  the  fact  that,  whilst  she  must  neces- 
sarily have  forced  her  way  twice  through  the  ancient  ice, 
she  should  have  failed  in  her  third  attempt?" 

''Her  third  attempt  may  have  been  made  late  in  the 
season,"  answered  the  professor.  "But  it  is  just  possible 
that  her  final  attempt  may  have  been  to  force  not  a  third 
but  a  second  passage  through  the  ice.  She  may  have 
been  attempting  to  return  southward  instead  of  north- 
ward, as  I  just  now  suggested.  My  impression,  with 
respect  to  the  vast  field  of  paleocrystic .  ice,  is  that  at 
certain  seasons — as  when,  for  instance,  two  or  three  very 
mild  winters  have  occurred  in  succession  in  the  Arctic 
circle,  followed  possibly  by  exceptionally  hot  summers — 
it  undergoes  partial  disruption,  splitting  up,  in  fact,  into 
several  lesser  fields  which  drift  for  longer  or  shorter 
distances  out  into  the  open  Polar  Sea.  The  fact  that 
Scoresby,  Penny,  and  Kane  all  beheld,  at  diflferent  periods, 
an  open  Polar  sea,  tends  to  confirm  this  impression;  and 
the  circumstance  that  the  bows  of  the  galley  discovered 
by  us  were  pointing  to  the  northward  may  be  due,  not 
to  the  fact  that  she  was  actually  making  her  way  north 
when  finally  frozen  in,  but  to  the  accident  of  that  portion  of 
the  field  by  which  she  was  surrounded  being  subsequently 
turned  completely  round  whilst  adrift.  But  what  object 
do  I  see  yonder?     Surely  it  is  not  a  human  habitation?" 

It  was,  however,  or  at  least  had  been,  at  some  more  or 
less  distant  period.     It  was  the  roofless  ruin  of  a  once 


190  A  TEMPTING   SIGHT. 

most  substantially  built  log-hut,  measuring  some  twenty- 
five  feet  long  by  sixteen  feet  broad.  The  roof  had  fallen 
in;  the  log  sides  were  decayed  and  moss-grown;  and  the 
interior  was  overgrown  with  long  grass  and  brambles, 
with  a  stately  pine  springing  to  a  height  of  some  ninety 
feet  from  the  very  centre  of  the  structure — all  of  which 
incontestably  proved  its  antiquity;  but  that  it  was  the 
work  of  man — most  probably  those  who  had  left  behind 
them  the  rusty  spear-head — there  could  be  no  possible 
doubt. 

The  party  minutely  inspected  this  interesting  ruin,  but 
without  making  any  further  discovery,  and  then  pressed 
forward  through  the  heart  of  a  belt  of  pine  forest  which 
they  had  by  this  time  reached. 

The  walking  was  not  difficult  and  they  made  tolerably 
rapid  progress.  That  the  country  was  not  absolutely 
tenantless  they  soon  had  abundant  proof,  for  they  had 
not  advanced  more  than  half  a  mile  before  an  Arctic  fox 
was  discovered  gliding  rapidly  away  before  them.  A 
little  further  on  they  came  unexpectedly  upon  a  herd  of 
moose-deer.  The  behaviour  of  these  animals — naturally 
extremely  shy — conclusively  proved  that  they  had  never 
before  met  such  an  enemy  as  man,  for,  instead  of  bound- 
ing rapidly  away,  as  is  their  wont,  they  merely  ceased 
feeding  for  a  moment  to  stand  and  gaze  curiously  upon 
the  new-comers,  and  then  went  on  browsing  again  with 
the  utmost  composure.  Their  fearlessness  offered  a  strong 
temptation  to  such  inveterate  sportsmen  as  Sir  Reginald 
and  the  colonel;  but  not  being  in  actual  need  of  their 
flesh,  and  being,  moreover,  anxious  not  to  disturb  them 
just  then,  the  party  passed  quietly  on  without  firing  a 
shot.     A  huge  brown  bear  was  the  next  animal  encoun- 


POLAR   GAME.  191 

tered,  and  this  time  the  baronet's  love  of  sport  overcame 
his  humanity,  bruin  falling  an  easy  victim  to  the  noiseless 
but  deadly  percussion  shell  of  Sir  Reginald's  large-bore 
rifle.  A  solitary  prowling  wolf  next  fell  before  the 
equally  deadly  weapon  of  the  colonel;  and  then  the  ex- 
plorers emerged  on  the  other  side  of  the  forest-belt,  and 
found  themselves  on  the  borders  of  an  extensive  tract  of 
tolerably  level  country  intersected  here  and  there  by  low 
hills,  with  occasional  patches  of  marshy  land,  the  high 
fiat  table-land,  which  had  been  the  first  object  sighted 
by  them  when  approaching  these  shores  from  the  south- 
ward, looming  up,  still  misty  and  gray,  at  a  long  distance 
in  the  extreme  background  of  the  landscape. 

Heading  directly  for  this  mountain,  as  a  conspicuous 
landmark,  the  party  again  pressed  forward,  and  were 
speedily  delighted  to  observe  several  flocks  of  ptarmigan 
busily  feeding  on  the  crests  of  the  low  hills  which  here 
and  there  crossed  the  route.  These  birds  proved  rather 
shy,  though  not  so  much  so  as  to  have  prevented  the 
sportsmen  making  a  very  decent  bag  had  they  been  pro- 
vided with  fowling-pieces.  As  it  was,  however,  the  birds 
were,  of  course,  permitted  to  go  free  and  undisturbed.  A 
mile  further  on  a  small  drove  of  musk-oxen  were  seen 
grazing  in  the  distance,  and,  whilst  some  of  the  party 
were  watching  the  animals  and  discussing  the  possibility 
of  stalking  them,  Mildmay,  who  had  been  intently  gazing 
through  his  binocular  in  another  direction,  startled  his 
companions  by  exclaiming,  in  an  almost  horrified  tone  of 
voice: 

"  What  on  earth  are  those  immense  creatures  moving 
slowly  about  in  the  valley  away  yonder?  Surely  they 
cant  be  elephants?" 


192  A   HERD   OF  MAMMOTHS. 

"Elephants!  my  dear  fellow,  don't  be  absurd,"  remon- 
strated the  baronet.  "Where  are  they?  Oh,  ah!  now  I 
have  them,"  as  he  brought  his  glass  to  bear  in  the  right 
direction.  "  By  George,  they  are  elephants,  though,  and 
monsters  into  the  bargain.  And,  I  declare,  it  seems  to  me 
that  they  are  covered  with  a  thick  coat  of  shaggy  hair. 
Why,  I  never  saw  such  a  thing  in  my  life." 

"  Elephants?  Covered  with  hairV  exclaimed  the  pro- 
fessor in  a  voice  so  eager  that  it  almost  amounted  to  a 
scream.  "  Lend  me  a  binocular,  somebody;  with  my  usual 
luck  I  have  left  mine  at  home — on  board,  I  mean.  A 
thousand  thanks,  Mildmay,  my  dear  fellow.  Now,  where 
are  these  elephants  of  yours?  Quick,  show  me  where  to 
look  for  them.  Good  heavens!  if  it  should  really  be  so. 
Ah!  now  I  see  them.  Yes — yes — they  are — they  must 
be —  Gentlemen,  as  I  am  a  man  of  science,  I  solemnly 
declare  to  you  the  stupendous  fact  that  those  extra- 
ordinary animals  are  neither  more  nor  less  than  living 
Mammoths.  I  congratulate  you,  gentlemen  —  I  con- 
gratulate myself.  Ach,  himmel!  to  think  that  it  should 
ever  be  my  good  fortune  to  actually  behold,  not  only  one, 
but  a  whole  herd  of  living  mammoths!  I  cannot  believe 
it — yet — yes,  there  they  are;  it  is  no  freak  of  a  disordered 
imagination,  but  an  actual,  positive,  undeniable  reality." 

The  worthy  professor  was  so  excited  that  he  could 
scarcely  hold  the  binocular  firmly  enough  to  look  through 
it,  and  it  was  really  laughable — to  his  companions — to 
hear  his  "  Ach's  "  and  "  Pish's  "  of  impatience  as  he  vainly 
strove  to  steady  his  trembling  hands  and  get  another  good 
look  at  the  herd  of  hitherto  believed  extinct  monsters, 
which  were  quietly  feeding  at  a  distance  of  about  two 
miles  away.      At  length  he,  with  a  comical  gesture  of 


ARRANGING   FOR  A   MAMMOTH   HUNT.  193 

despair,  restored  the  borrowed  binocular  to  Mildmay,  and, 
turning  to  his  companions,  exclaimed  in  a  voice  of  feverish 
earnestness : 

"  Come,  my  dear  friends,  why  do  we  stand  idly  gaping 
here  and  wasting  valuable  time,  when  we  really  have  not 
a  moment  to  lose?  We  may  never  have  such  a  priceless 
opportunity  again.  Let  us  press  forward,  then,  and  at  all 
risks  secure  a  specimen  of  so  unique  an  animal  as  the 
mammoth.  If  we  were  to  achieve  this  and  nothing  more 
our  success  would  be  ample  repayment  for  all  the  anxious 
thought  devoted  to  the  designing  of  our  vessel,  and  all 
the  money  spent  in  her  construction." 

His  excitement  was  contagious,  and  the  baronet,  after 
briefly  arranging  with  the  colonel  a  plan  of  operations, 
invited  von  Schalckenbero^  to  follow  him;  Lethbridg-e 
and  Mildmay  going  off  in  another  direction,  with  the 
object  of  getting  on  the  other  side  of  the  animals,  and, 
in  co-operation  with  the  other  party,  driving  them,  if 
possible,  within  easy  distance  of  the  harbour  in  which 
the  Flying  Fish  lay  at  anchor. 

To  do  this  a  wide  detour  was  necessary,  and  it  was 
nearly  an  hour  and  a  half  later  when  the  four  men  found 
themselves  in  a  proper  position  to  commence  the  operation 
of  "  driving."  They  had  arranged  themselves  in  the  form 
of  a  semicircle  round  the  herd,  at  a  distance  of  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  away,  and,  at  a  signal  from  the  baronet, 
all  hands  advanced  toward  the  huge  creatures,  shouting 
and  gesticulating  to  the  utmost  extent  of  their  several 
powers. 

The  mammoths,  utterly  unsuspicious  of  danger,  had 
been  quietly  feeding  among  the  long  grass  during  the 
approach  of  their  enemies;    but  on  the  baronet's  first 

(359)  N 


194  THE  MAMMOTHS   SHOW   FIGHT. 

signal  shout  they  paused,  and,  facing  rapidly  round  in  the 
direction  of  the  noise,  raised  their  trunks  in  the  air  and 
waved  them  slowly  from  side  to  side  as  though  scenting 
the  air.  The  hunters  now  redoubled  their  exertions,  fully 
expecting  that,  on  seeing  them,  the  animals  would  wheel 
about  and  shamble  off  in  the  required  direction.  But,  to 
their  dismay,  the  creatures,  instead  of  doing  this,  no 
sooner  caught  sight  of  the  party  than,  with  upraised 
trunks  and  harsh  trumpet-like  screams  of  rage  and 
defiance,  they  charged  furiously  straight  down  upon 
them.  The  herd  numbered  ten  individuals,  four  of  which 
appeared  to  instantly  constitute  themselves  the  defenders 
of  the  party;  and  each  of  these  promptly  selected  his  own 
particular  enemy,  occupying  his  attention  so  fully  that  the 
remaining  members  of  the  herd  were  afforded  every 
facility  for  escape. 

It  was  a  nervous  moment  for  the  hunters,  who,  never 
having  faced  such  a  creature  before,  had  not  the  most " 
remote  idea  of  its  fighting  tactics ;  moreover,  the  aspect  of 
the  monsters,  with  their  towering  stature  of  fully  fifteen 
feet,  their  thick  shaggy  coats  of  rusty  brown  hair,  their 
enormous  spirally  curving  tusks,  and  their  small  eyes 
blazing  with  fury  as  they  rushed  forward  to  the  attack, 
all  combined  to  produce  such  a  hideous  tout  ensemble  as 
might  well  strike  terror  to  the  boldest  heart.  But  neither 
Sir  Reginald  nor  the  colonel  were  the  men  to  shrink  from 
an  encounter  when  game  was  before  them;  Mildmay 
possessed  all  the  cool  daring  and  recklessness  of  the 
British  seaman;  and  as  for  the  professor,  he  would 
willingly  have  faced  a  thousand  deaths  to  secure  so  new 
and  rare  a  specimen  of  natural  history  as  the  creature 
before  him. 


A   HUNTING  DISASTER.  195 

The  four  sportsmen  pulled  trigger  almost  simultane- 
ously. The  baronet  and  the  colonel  had  each  selected 
the  same  spot,  the  eye,  as  the  object  of  their  aim,  and 
both  had  been  equally  successful,  the  shell  in  each  case 
passing  upward  through  the  eyeball  into  the  brain,  ex- 
ploding there  and  causing  instant  death.  The  professor  s 
fascinated  gaze  being  riveted  upon  the  wide-open  mouth 
of  his  own  particular  adversary,  he  seemed  to  think  that 
the  yawning  cavern  thus  revealed  would  be  as  good  a 
place  as  any  to  empty  his  rifle  into;  and  he  did  so — just 
in  bare  time  to  bring  down  his  game  and  save  himself 
from  being  trampled  to  a  jelly.  Mildmay,  however,  was 
not  so  fortunate.  He  seemed  to  think  that  it  mattered 
very  little  where  he  directed  his  aim,  so  long  as  he  made 
sure  of  hitting  the  brute  somewhere,  and  he  therefore 
fired  point-blank  at  the  chest  of  the  mammoth  which 
was  menacing  him.  The  shell  sped  true,  but,  encounter- 
ing the  thick  shaggy  coat  and  the  enormously  tough  hide 
of  the  creature,  failed  to  penetrate  the  body,  and,  explod- 
ing outside,  only  inflicted  such  wounds  as  further  excited 
the  already  angry  monster  to  a  perfect  frenzy  of  rage. 
Even  at  this  critical  moment  there  was  time  for  another 
shot;  but  Mildmay  most  unfortunately  forgot  that  he 
had  nine  loaded  chambers  still  available,  and  instead  of 
firing  again  he  flung  away  his  piece  and  ran  for  his  life. 
The  race  was  a  disastrously  short  one,  however;  he  had 
not  run  more  than  twenty  yards  when  the  huge  creature 
was  upon  him.  The  great  uplifted  trunk  gave  one  whirl 
in  the  air  and  descended  with  force  enough  to  slay  an  ox. 
It  struck  poor  Mildmay  on  his  right  side,  and,  but  for  the 
fortunate  accident  of  his  having  at  that  moment  tripped 
and  fallen  forward,  the  lieutenant  would  there  and  then 


196  LIEUTENANT   MILDMAY   IS   DISABLED. 

have  lost  the  number  of  his  mess.  As  it  was,  he  was  sent 
whirling  through  the  air  like  a  cricket-ball,  to  fall  sense- 
less, and  bleeding  from  the  nose  and  mouth,  fully  forty 
feet  away.  The  vindictive  brute  instantly  turned  short 
off  with  the  evident  intention  of  trampling  his  victim  to 
death;  but  before  he  could  reach  the  prostrate  body  a 
shell  from  the  colonel's  rifle  sent  him  crashing  lifeless  to 
the  ground.  The  remainder  of  the  herd,  evidently  dis- 
mayed at  the  slaughter  of  their  companions,  now  aban- 
doned a  half -formed  intention  which  they  had  at  first 
manifested  to  stay  and  fight  it  out,  and  went  off  in  full 
retreat  with  horrible  trumpetings  of  anger  and  alarm. 

The  colonel  was  the  first  to  reach  the  side  of  his  un- 
fortunate friend,  the  professor  and  the  baronet  joining 
him  as  speedily  as  their  legs  could  convey  them  to  the 
spot.  Very  fortunately  von  Schalckenberg,  among  his 
other  multitudinous  acquirements,  possessed  a  very  fair 
knowledge  of  medicine  and  surgery;  and  his  skilful  fin- 
gers were  soon  at  work  removing  the  lieutenant's  cloth- 
ing so  far  as  was  necessary  to  investigate  the  nature  and 
extent  of  his  injuries.  Singularly  enough  these  were 
found  to  be  comparatively  trifling,  a  fractured  rib  and 
several  very  severe  bruises  being  the  sum  of  them.  A 
little  brandy  forced  between  the  lips  of  the  sufferer  soon 
restored  him  to  consciousness,  a.nd  he  was  able  to  sit  up. 

On  attempting  to  rise  to  his  feet,  however,  he  experi- 
enced such  severe  pain  that  it  was  then  and  there  resolved 
to  let  him  remain  where  he  was,  two  of  his  companions 
also  remaining  to  mount  guard  over  him  and  see  that  he 
came  to  no  harm;  whilst  the  third  was  to  hurry  back 
with  all  speed  to  the  ship  and  bring  her  out  on  to  the 
plain  close  by  the  spot  where  the  accident  occurred,  when 


THE   "FLYING  FISH "   IS   MOVED   INLAND.  197 

it  would  be  a  comparatively  easy  matter  to  convey  the 
lieutenant  from  the  spot  where  he  then  lay  to  his  own 
bed  on  board  the  Flying  Fish, 

The  professor,  having  first  made  Mildmay  as  easy  and 
comfortable  as  circumstances  permitted,  volunteered  for 
the  service  of  moving  the  ship,  explaining  to  his  com- 
panions that,  in  the  event  of  an  attack  of  any  kind,  they, 
as  seasoned  sportsmen,  would  be  able  to  far  more  effec- 
tually defend  the  wounded  man  than  he  could  possibly 
hope  to  do;  and  then.  Sir  Reginald  and  the  colonel  quite 
concurring  in  this  view,  he  set  off  for  the  bay,  shouting 
back  an  assurance  as  he  went  that  he  would  not  be 
absent  one  moment  longer  than  should  prove  absolutely 
necessary. 

The  worthy  scientist  was  as  good  as  his  word;  for  in 
less  than  an  hour  from  the  moment  of  his  departure  the 
immense  bulk  of  the  Flying  Fish  was  seen  to  rise  into 
the  air  beyond  the  tops  of  the  distant  pine-trees,  and, 
with  her  polished  hull  gleaming  and  flashing  in  the  rays 
of  the  sun,  to  sweep  gracefully  round  until  she  was  head- 
ing straight  in  the  direction  of  the  anxious  watchers. 
Under  the  professor's  able  pilotage  she  was  soon  brought 
to  the  ground  and  secured  within  a  dozen  yards  of  the 
spot  occupied  by  them,  when  it  was  the  work  of  a  few 
minutes  only  to  convey  the  injured  man  to  his  own  state- 
room, where  his  hurts  were  at  once  properly  attended  to 
and  himself  made  thoroughly  comfortable. 

As  soon  as  luncheon  was  over  Sir  Reginald  and  the 
colonel  set  out  for  the  spot  were  they  had  shot  the  bear 
in  the  morning,  one  of  them  being  armed  with  a  large- 
bore  rifle  and  the  other  carrying  a  fowling-piece;  and  on 
their  return  somewhat  late  in  the  afternoon  they  bore 


198  VON   SCHALCKENBERG   IN   HIS   ELEMENT. 

not  only  the  skin,  skull,  and  claws  of  the  defunct  bruin, 
but  also  a  goodly  bag  of  ptarmigan.  During  their  ab- 
sence the  professor  had  also  been  very  busy,  dividing  his 
attention  pretty  evenly  between  Mildmay  and  the  finest 
specimen  of  the  slain  mammoths,  the  latter  of  which  he 
had  succeeded  in  nearly  half- denuding  of  its  skin.  With 
the  assistance  of.  his  two  able-bodied  friends  this  task 
was  completed  by  dinner-time;  and  by  the  corresponding 
hour  next  evening  not  only  was  the  enormous  hide  under- 
going the  first  stage  of  preparation  for  the  taxidermist, 
but  the  indefatigable  labourers  had  also  succeeded  in 
hewing  out  the  tusks  of  the  other  slaughtered  mammoths. 
For  health's  sake  the  ship  was  then  moved  about  a  mile 
further  inland,  and  the  carcasses  were  left  to  the  wolves, 
which  had  already  gathered  in  large  numbers  in  the 
vicinity. 

Under  the  skilful  treatment  of  the  professor  Mildmay 
made  steady  and  rapid  progress  toward  recovery  from 
the  very  first;  the  baronet  and  the  colonel  had  therefore 
no  hesitation  about  carrying  out  a  project  which  had 
been  under  discussion  between  them  for  the  last  two  or 
three  days,  and  which  was  neither  more  nor  less  than  a 
pedestrian  excursion  to  the  far  distant  table-land  which 
they  had  first  sighted  from  the  sea.  They  estimated  that 
this  goal  of  their  journey,  upon  which  they  expected  to 
find  the  actual  site  of  the  Northern  Pole  of  the  earth, 
must  be  about  sixty  miles  distant  from  the  ship;  and 
they  considered  that  the  trip  there  and  back  would 
occupy  them  about  six  days.  It  would  of  course  have 
been  very  much  easier,  and  more  convenient  in  every 
way,  to  have  made  the  journey  on  board  the  Flying 
Fish;  but  the  professor  was  busy  with  the  preparation 


k 


A  WALKING  TOUR  OF  EXPLORATION.  199 

of  his  mammoth,  the  skin  of  which  he  had  carefully 
stretched  and  pegged  out  on  the  ground  alongside  the 
ship,  and  was  so  averse  to  the  losing  sight  of  it,  even  for 
a  few  "hours,  that  it  was  soon  decided  the  Flying  Fish 
must  not  be  moved  for  the  present.  After  all,  the  jour- 
ney would  probably  not  involve  any  very  great  amount 
of  hardship;  it  simply  meant  camping  out  for  five  or  six 
nights,  or  at  least  those  hours  of  the  twenty-four  which 
did  duty  for  night.  And  this  the  two  seasoned  hunters 
looked  forward  to  as  rather  a  pleasant  change  than  other- 

ise. 

The  necessary  preparations  were  all  made  on  the  pre- 
vious evening,  and  after  breakfast  on  the  appointed  day 
the  two  adventurers  set  out,  taking  leave  of  Mildmay — 
who  was  already  out  of  bed  again — and  of  the  professor, 
who,  to  tell  the  truth,  was  heartily  glad  to  be  left  to  the 
uninterrupted  prosecution  of  his  task. 

They  were  in  light  marching  order,  having  resolved 
to  carry  nothing  which  they  could  possibly  do  without; 
their  previous  experience  of  the  country  had  taught  them 
that  game  was  pretty  plentiful,  and  that  they  might 
safely  depend  upon  their  guns  for  the  supply  of  their 
larder;  and  their  stock  of  provisions  consisted  solely, 
therefore,  of  a  few  biscuits  and  a  substantial  flask  of 
brandy  each.  The  temperature  was  decidedly  mild,  and 
had  been  so  ever  since  their  arrival  at  "Elphinstone  Land," 
with  settled  fine  weather,  and  they  therefore  carried 
nothing  in  the  shape  of  extra  clothing  save  a  light  mac- 
intosh each,  which  they  bore  securely  strapped  on  the  top 
of  their  knapsacks.  The  remainder  of  their  impedimenta 
consisted  of  a  double-barrelled  gun  for  each  man — one 
barrel  being  rifled  and  the  other  a  smooth  bore — two  car- 


200  A   CURIOUS   PHENOMENON. 

trido'e  belts,  one  for  the  waist  and  the  other  for  the 
shoulder,  fully  stocked;  a  formidable  double-edged  hunt- 
ing knife  each;  a  capacious  waterproof  bag  containing  a 
reserve  supply  of  cartridges,  and  a  small  stock  of  matches 
and  tobacco. 

Their  road  for  the  first  five  or  six  miles  led  up  a  gentle 
acclivity,  just  sufficient  to  make  itself  felt,  but  not  steep 
enough  to  render  walking  difficult  or  fatiguing.  Then 
came  a  stretch  of  flat  country,  bounded  on  each  side  by 
the  projecting  spurs  of  a  range  of  rugged  hills  of  fantastic 
outline  which  stretched  immediately  across  their  path  at 
a  distance  of  some  three  or  four  miles  or  so.  The  pedes- 
trians had  not  progressed  very  far  across  this  plain  before 
their  attention  became  arrested  by  a  curious  phenomenon. 
The  atmosphere  immediately  behind  the  range  of  hills 
last  mentioned  was  thick  with  fleecy  vapour,  now  so  thin 
that  the  distant  table-land  could  be  dimly  seen  through 
it  as  through  a  veil,  and  anon  so  dense  that  it  assumed  a 
decided  cloud-like  shape  upon  which  the  unsetting  sun 
shone  with  dazzling  brilliancy.  This  thickening  of  the 
vapour  seemed  to  occur  at  tolerably  regular  intervals  of 
about  twenty  minutes  each,  and  was  immediately  pre- 
ceded by  a  sudden  silvery  gleam  succeeded  by  a  most 
brilliant  and  perfectly  formed  rainbow.  The  periodical 
recurrence  of  this  singular  phenomenon  under  a  perfectly 
cloudless  sky  of  course  greatly  excited  the  curiosity  of 
the  pedestrians,  and  they  pushed  rapidly  forward,  eager 
to  ascertain  the  cause. 

As  they  advanced,  the  encircling  hills  thrust  their  pro- 
jecting spurs  further  and  further  into  the  narrowing 
plain,  their  slopes  became  steeper  and  more  rugged,  and 
rocks  began  to  crop  out  here  and  there  with  increasing 


A   DIFFICULT   PATH.  201 

frequency  through  the  lessening  soil.  A  corresponding 
change  of  course  occurred  in  the  character  of  the  land- 
scape; it  grew  increasingly  picturesque  and  wild  at  every 
step,  and  at  length  the  travellers  found  themselves  at  the 
mouth  of  a  narrow  rocky  boulder-strewn  gorge  bounded 
on  either  side  by  titanic  masses  of  volcanic  rock,  rugged 
and  moss-grown,  with  little  patches  of  herbage  here  and 
there,  or  an  occasional  stunted  pine  growing  out  of  an 
almost  imperceptible  fissure.  The  only  signs  of  life  in 
this  wild  spot  consisted  of  a  diminutive  musk-ox  here 
and  there  cropping  the  scanty  herbage  half-way  up  the 
apparently  inaccessible  height  in  spots  from  which  it  ap- 
peared equally  impossible  for  the  creature  to  advance  or 
to  retreat. 

Plunging  into  this  defile,  the  travellers  advanced  with 
steadily  increasing  difficulty,  the  boulders  with  which  their 
path  was  strewed  growing  ever  larger  and  more  numer- 
ous until  at  length  the  narrowing  road  became  completely 
choked  with  them,  and  the  only  mode  of  progression  was 
that  of  a  slow,  toilsome,  dangerous  scramble.  Still  the 
pair  pushed  resolutely  on,  every  minute  hoping  that  the 
difficulties  of  the  journey  would  come  to  an  end,  and 
every  minute  less  willing  to  turn  back  and  again  en- 
counter the  obstacles  already  surmounted.  At  length  the 
path  became  so  narrow  that  one  enormous  boulder  sufficed 
to  completely  block  the  way,  whilst  the  perpendicular 
rocky  walls  of  the  chasm  towered  so  far  aloft  that  only 
the  merest  thread  of  sky  was  visible;  the  air  grew  chill 
and  damp,  and  so  deep  a  twilight  gloom  pervaded  the 
place  that  it  was  difficult  to  distinguish  any  object  more 
than  half  a  dozen  yards  distant. 

The  weary  travellers  looked  at  each  other  in  dismay. 


202  A  GRUESOME  SPOT. 

Was  this  to  be  the  ineffectual  ending  of  that  long  and 
toilsome  scramble  through  the  ravine?  There  was  just 
one  single  narrow  crevice  between  the  huge  boulder 
which  blocked  their  way,  and  one  of  the  precipitous  walls 
which  pressed  so  closely  in  upon  them — a  crevice  left  by 
the  irregular  shape  of  the  block,  and  affording  barely 
space  enough  for  a  man  of  robust  proportions  to  squeeze 
himself  through — and  they  determined  that,  before  re- 
tracing their  steps,  they  would  at  least  satisfy  their 
curiosity  so  far  as  to  creep  through  this  crevice  and  see 
what  lay  on  the  farther  side.  The  baronet  with  some 
little  difficulty  squeezed  through  first,  and  his  exclama- 
tion of  astonishment  quickly  took  the  colonel  to  his  side. 
The  pair  found  themselves  in  a  narrow  rent  between 
the  two  vertical  faces  of  rock — the  projections  of  the  one 
accurately  corresponding  with  the  indentations  of  the 
other,  and  clearly  demonstrating  that,  at  some  distant 
period  of  the  earth's  history,  that  mighty  chasm  had  been 
suddenly  torn  open  by  a  great  natural  convulsion  awful 
in  its  intensity  beyond  all  power  of  imagination.  The 
rent  was  roofed  in  as  it  were  by  boulders  which  thickly 
hung  suspended  and  jammed  in  at  varying  heights  be- 
tween the  almost  touching  walls  of  the  rift;  and  the 
adventurous  explorers  could  not  repress  a  shudder  as 
they  glanced  aloft  at  these  huge  masses  and  thought  of 
the  consequences  to  themselves  which  would  ensue  should 
a  projecting  corner  just  then  yield  and  suffer  its  parent 
rock  to  come  crashing  down  to  the  bottom.  Their  first 
impulse  was  to  beat  a  precipitate  retreat;  their  second,  to 
go  forward ;  for  at  only  a  few  yards'  distance  before  them 
the  rift  closed  altogether,  except  at  the  very  bottom, 
where  a  low  cavern-like  fissure  dimly  appeared.    A  hasty 


forward!  203 

consultation  passed  between  them,  resulting  in  a  deter- 
mination to  go  forward  and  explore  the  fissure. 

Fortunately  for  their  purpose  they  had,  at  an  early 
stage  of  their  difficulties,  provided  themselves  with  a 
couple  of  stoutish  pine  branches — wrenched  from  their 
parent  stems  and  hurled  into  the  ravine  perchance  by 
some  winter  storm — to  aid  them  in  surmounting  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  way,  and  these  they  now  determined  to 
utilize  if  possible  as  torches. 

With  some  little  difficulty  the  smaller  ends  of  these 
brands  were  induced  to  kindle;  but,  once  fairly  ignited, 
they  blazed  up  bravely,  and  thus  provided  with  the  neces- 
sary lights  the  adventurers  boldly  pushed  forward  and 
plunged  into  the  recesses  of  the  fissure. 


•7^ 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


AT    THE   NORTH   POLE. 


HE  opening  was  so  low  and  so  narrow,  that  for 
the  first  fifty  or  sixty  feet  the  explorers  were 
obliged  to  creep  forward  on  their  hands  and 
knees;  then  it  widened  and  became  gradually  higher, 
so  that  by  the  time  they  had  penetrated  a  couple  of 
hundred  feet  they  were  able  to  resume  a  perpendicular 
attitude.  The  cavern,  if  such  it  could  be  called,  still 
however  remained  so  narrow  that  it  was  only  here  and 
there  possible  for  them  to  walk  side  by  side.  It  was  also 
very  tortuous;  and  the  heights  varied  momentarily,  at 
one  time  compelling  them  to  stoop  almost  double  in  order 
to  pass  beneath  some  immense  projection,  and  anon  in- 
creasing so  greatly  that  the  light  of  their  torches  failed 
to  reach  and  reveal  the  roof.  They  observed  several  rifts 
or  crevices  to  the  right  and  left  of  them  as  they  pressed 
forward,  but,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  these  were 
quite  impassable,  and  those  which  were  not  so  were  still 
so  cramped  that  they  offered  no  inducement  to  deviate 
from  the  main  passage. 

Groping  thus  in  semi-darkness  over  painfully  rough 
and  broken  ground,  a  full  hour  was  spent,  and  the  colonel 


A   LAKE   OF   WARM   WATER.  205 

was  just  expressing  his  conviction  that  they  must  have 
traversed  a  distance  of  fully  two  miles  when  a  faint 
glimmer  of  daylight  revealed  itself  on  one  of  the  rocky 
walls  of  the  passage;  and,  turning  sharply  round  an 
angle,  the  pair  suddenly  found  themselves  once  more 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  open  air. 

Emerging  into  broad  daylight  a  most  wonderful  spec- 
tacle greeted  the  two  adventurous  explorers.  They  found 
themselves  standing  on  a  narrow  strip  of  coarse  sandy 
beach  at  the  bottom  of  an  immense  basin,  measuring  fully 
a  mile  in  diameter,  the  sides  of  which  were  formed  of 
lofty  precipitous  cliffs  of  volcanic  rock,  so  smooth  and  so 
nearly  vertical  that  nowhere,  at  least  in  their  immediate 
neighbourhood,  could  they  discover  a  spot  capable  of 
being  scaled.  Before  them,  and  occupying  the  whole 
bottom  of  this  enormous  basin,  stretched  a  placid  lake, 
the  water  of  which  was  as  clear  as  crystal.  A  thin  filmy 
veil  of  vapour  rose  everywhere  from  the  surface  of  the 
water,  softening  the  hard  outlines  of  the  more  distant 
landscape,  and  imparting  an  aspect  of  dreamlike  witchery 
and  unreality  which  it  would  certainly  have  otherwise 
lacked. 

"Why,  the  water  is  tepid!"  exclaimed  Sir  Reginald, 
plunging  his  hand  into  the  lake  and  raising  a  small  quan- 
tity of  its  water  in  his  palm,  to  ascertain  by  taste  whe- 
ther it  was  fresh  or  salt. 

The  colonel  thereupon  thrust  his  hand  down,  and  satis- 
fied himself  by  experiment  of  the  truth  of  his  compan- 
ion's statement.  It  was  even  more  than  tepid,  it  was 
positively  warm. 

The  two  were  still  discussing  the  probable  reason  for 
this   phenomenon    when    their   attention  was   suddenly 


206  "THE   VON   SCHALCKENBERG   GEYSER." 

arrested  by  a  curious  movement  of  the  water  in  the  centre 
of  the  lake.  First  a  few  tremulous  ripples  appeared, 
spreading  outward  from  the  centre;  then  the  disturbance 
became  more  pronounced,  until,  within  a  minute,  an  area 
of  some  thirty  or  forty  yards  in  diameter  had  assumed 
an  appearance  of  violent  ebullition.  Suddenly  a  jet  of 
steam  and  spray  shot  up  out  of  the  centre  of  this  dis- 
turbed spot;  and  then,  before  either  of  the  two  bewil- 
dered spectators  could  find  time  to  remark  upon  so  curi- 
ous a  phenomenon,  an  immense  column  of  purest  crystal 
water  shot  into  the  air  to  a  height  of  at  least  two  hun- 
dred feet,  and,  gleaming  and  flashing  in  the  sunbeams 
as  it  soared  away  above  the  level  of  the  encircling  cliffs, 
spread  out  into  a  domelike  sheet,  and,  leaving  behind  it 
aloft  a  dense  cloud  of  vapour  of  dazzling  whiteness,  fell 
again  into  the  lake  in  the  form  of  a  shower  of  boiling 
water. 

"A  geyser!"  exclaimed  the  baronet.  ''A  geyser!  and 
of  such  grandeur  that  the  Great  Geyser  of  Iceland,  which 
I  have  seen,  sinks  into  the  utmost  insignificance  com- 
pared with  it." 

''  You  are  right,"  acquiesced  Lethbridge.  "  I  too  have 
seen  the  so-called  Great  Geyser,  and  admired  it  im- 
mensely; but  after  this — " 

He  finished  with  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders  so  expressive 
that  there  was  not  the  slightest  need  for  words  to  explain 
his  meaning. 

"  We  must  bring  the  professor  to  see  this,"  he  continued 
after  a  slight  pause.  "  And — look  here,  Elphinstone — if 
you  wish  to  intensely  gratify  the  worthy  man,  call  this 
geyser  after  him — '  The  Von  Schalckenberg  Geyser' — eh? 
It  doesn't  sound  half  bad,  does  it?" 


LUNCHEON   AND   A   PIPE.  207 

The  baronet  laughingly  consented  to  his  friend's  pro- 
posal, the  more  readily,  as  he  knew  that  what  Lethbridge 
had  said  as  to  the  professor's  gratification  was  perfectly 
true;  and  then  the  wanderers  resumed  their  journey, 
passing  along  the  narrow  strip  of  sand  which  divided  the 
edo^e  of  the  water  from  the  base  of  the  cliffs. 

"  There  is  no  doubt,  I  think,  that  this  geyser  produces 
the  cloud  of  vapour  and  the  sudden  flashing  gleam,  at 
tolerably  regular  intervals,  which  so  aroused  our  curiosity 
this  morning,"  remarked  the  baronet  as  they  plodded 
somewhat  wearily  along  side  by  side  over  the  sand. 
bv  His  companion  assented,  and  then  they  both  paused, 
'  and  finally  flung  themselves  down  upon  the  sand  to  wit- 
ness a  repetition  of  the  eruption,  the  premonitory  signs 
of  which  at  that  moment  made  their  appearance.  Then, 
when  it  was  over,  finding  themselves  very  comfortable — 
and  very  hungry — they  concluded  to  take  luncheon  be- 
fore again  moving;  and,  this  being  followed  by  a  pipe,  it 
was  after  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  they  once 
more  made  a  move. 

A  saunter  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour  along  the 
margin  of  the  lake  enabled  them  to  reach  a  spot  almost 
directly  opposite  that  where  they  had  emerged  into  day- 
light from  the  interior  of  the  cavern;  and  here  they 
found  the  point  of  overflow  from  the  lake.  The  chain 
of  hills,  which  from  their  first  point  of  sight  had  ap- 
peared to  completely  surround  the  sheet  of  water,  was 
here  pierced  by  a  narrow  valley,  through  which  a  small 
shallow  stream,  emanating  from  the  geyser  lake,  made 
its  devious  way.  As  the  course  of  this  valley  appeared 
to  trend  generally  in  a  northerly  direction,  or  toward  the 
high  table-land  of  which  the  travellers  were  in  quest,  and 


208  A   SAUNTER   ALONG  THE   STREAM. 

as,  moreover,  the  valley  appeared  to  offer  the  only  exit 
from  the  lake  basin  in  a  northerly  direction,  the  travellers 
decided  to  follow  its  course,  which  they  did  by  keeping- 
close  to  the  margin  of  the  stream.  This  mode  of  pro- 
cedure, whilst  it  afforded  them  tolerably  easy  walking, 
also  enabled  them  to  estimate  more  accurately  than  they 
had  hitherto  done,  the  enormous  quantity  of  water  pro- 
jected into  the  air  by  the  geyser;  for  whilst  the  stream 
normally  consisted  of  a  body  of  w^ater  some  ten  feet  wide 
by  three  or  four  inches  deep,  it  was  swollen — at  regular 
intervals  of  twenty  minutes  each,  corresponding  with  the 
periodical  discharge  of  the  geyser — into  a  rushing  and 
foamincy  torrent  of  about  ten  feet  wide  and  four  feet 
deep,  lasting  thus  for  about  a  minute,  when  the  stream 
again  rapidly  subsided  to  its  previous  depth. 

For  a  distance  of  about  two  miles  the  stream  wound 
its  way  over  a  bed  of  exposed  rock,  beyond  which 
occurred  a  considerable  stretch  of  coarse  gravelly  soil, 
thickly  overgrown  with  long  grass.  The  constant  flow 
of  water  for  untold  ages  through  this  bed  of  gravel  had 
scoured  out  a  channel  nearly  forty  feet  wide  by  half  that 
depth;  the  banks  being  perfectly  vertical,  except  in  a 
few  places  where  the  gravel  had  crumbled  away  to  a 
rather  steep  slope. 

It  was  whilst  the  wanderers  were  passing  one  of  these 
places  that — the  sun  being  by  this  time  in  the  western 
quarter  of  the  heavens,  and  his  level  rays  falling  directly 
upon  the  right  bank  of  the  stream — the  baronet's  atten- 
tion was  arrested  by  the  appearance  of  several  bright 
sparkling  gleams  emanating  from  among  the  debris  of 
the  crumbling  bank.  He  directed  the  colonel's  attention 
to  these,  whereupon  the  latter,  seized  with  sudden  excite- 


COLONEL   LETHBRIDGE   DISCOVERS  A   DIAMOND   MINE. 


"A   BED   OF   DIAMONDIFEROUS   GRAVEL."  209 

merit,  scrambled  down  the  bank,  waded  across  the  shal- 
low stream,  and  in  another  instant  flung  himself  down 
upon  his  knees  on  the  gravel.  Before  the  astonished 
baronet  could  follow  him  he  leaped  to  his  feet  again,  and, 
whilst  he  waved  some  glittering  object  above  his  head, 
shouted: 

"  Hurrah !  hurrah!  Elphinstone,  my  dear  fellow,  we  are 
in  luck  to-day.  Here  is  a  fabulous  fortune  for  every  one 
of  us,  to  be  had  merely  for  the  trouble  of  picking  up. 
litis  is  a  bed  of  diamondiferous  gravel." 

Sir  Reginald  hastened  across  the  stream,  and,  scram- 
bling half-way  up  the  bank,  joined  his  companion  on  the 
spot  where  the  latter  had  halted. 

"  Look  here !"  exclaimed  Lethbridge,  holding  out  for  in- 
spection a  crystal  as  large  as  a  pigeon's  egg;  "what  think 
you  of  that  for  a  first  find  ?    And  it  is  of  the  first  water,  too." 

The  baronet  took  it  in  his  hand  and  examined  it  criti- 
cally.    Then  he  handed  it  back  with  the  remark: 

"  Well,  my  dear  fellow,  I  am  no  judge  of  diamonds,  at 
least  in  their  natural  uncut  state;  but  if  your  supposi- 
tion— that  you  have  discovered  a  'bed'  or  'pocket,'  or 
whatever  you  call  it,  of  diamonds — be  correct,  I  most 
heartily  congratulate  you." 

"You — congratulate — me?"  gasped  the  colonel.  "Why, 
my  dear  Elphinstone,  what  on  earth  do  you  mean?  I  am 
much  obliged  for  your  congratulations,  certainly;  but 
whether  the  diamonds  here  be  many  or  few,  we  shall  of 
course  all  share  alike,  so  you  may  also  congratulate  your- 
self and  our  absent  friends  at  the  same  time.  And  as  to 
my  supposition  being  correct,  I  have  had  too  much  expe- 
rience at  the  South  African  diamond-fields  to  make  a 
mistake  in  such  a  matter.     Why,"  he  continued,  looking 

(359)  Q 


210  DIAMONDS   SOWN   BUOADCAST! 

round  and  picking  up  two  or  three  more  stones,  "they 
are  positively  sown  broadcast  just  here — an  hour's  dili- 
gent work  in  this  spot  will  make  us  all  rich  beyond  the 
power  of  computation." 

"  If  that  be  the  case,"  returned  the  baronet,  "  then  here 
goes  to  help  you.  But,  mind,  I  am  a  rich  man  already; 
and  not  a  single  stone  will  I  accept  until  all  three  of  you 
are  perfectly  satisfied  that  you  have  abundantly  sufficient 
for  all  your  requirements." 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  colonel.  "  Go  ahead  with  that 
understanding  if  you  like.  I  feel  pretty  confident  that, 
even  upon  such  terms,  you  will  be  able  to  take  back  to 
England,  if  all  goes  well,  sufficient  gems  to  make  the 
future  Lady  Elphinstone — should  there  ever  be  such  a 
personage — a  diamond  suite  which  shall  cause  her  to  be 
the  envied  of  all  beholders." 

Sir  Reginald  laughed  gleefully.  "I  have  never  yet 
met  a  woman  charming  enough  to  induce  me  to  yield  up 
my  freedom  of  action  and  movement  for  her  sake,  and  I 
do  not  think  it  likely  I  ever  shall,"  he  said. 

Lethbridge  shook  his  head  a  little  doubtfully,  but  he 
was  just  then  so  busy  digging  down  into  the  gravel  with 
his  hunting-knife  that  he  had  no  breath  to  waste  in  the 
words  of  a  disclaimer. 

The  baronet  moved  away  to  a  distance  of  some  twenty 
feet,  and  began  poking  about  the  gravel  in  a  very  care- 
less, half-hearted  sort  of  way,  occasionally  picking  up 
and  slipping  into  one  of  his  capacious  pockets  such  crys- 
tals as  he  thought  likely  to  be  of  value. 

Half  an  hour  of  this  work  sufficed  him;  and,  rising  to 
his  feet,  he  cried:  *' Spell,  ho!  as  our  friend  Mildmay 
would  probably  observe.     Now,  Lethbridge,"  as  he  saun- 


A  GOOD  HAUL.  211 

tered  up  to  his  companion,  "  let  us  compare  the  results  of 
our  labour." 

With  this  he  flung  himself  down  upon  the  gravel,  and, 
plunging  his  hand  into  his  pocket  three  or  four  times, 
produced  a  goodly  little  heap  of  gems  of  all  sizes,  rang- 
ing from  that  of  a  pea  up  to  stones  of  fully  one  ounce  in 
weight.  Meanwhile  the  colonel  brought  his  collection  to 
light,  and  a  very  fine  one  it  was,  the  stones  being  nearly 
twice  as  many  as  those  gathered  by  the  baronet,  though 
many  of  them  were  much  smaller. 

" Is  that  all?"  asked  Sir  Reginald. 
•  ''AllV  echoed  Lethbridge;  "why,  my  dear  sir,  what 
would  you  have?  If,  after  we  have  quite  exhausted  the 
ground  here,  my  share  amounts  to  such  a  handsome  col- 
lection as  this,  I  can  assure  you  I  shall  be  exceedingly 
well  satisfied.  You  have  made  a  most  excellent  haul  too, 
but  I  think  mine  is  the  more  valuable  of  the  two.'' 

"Perhaps,"  said  the  baronet,  ''this  will  go  some  way 
toward  equalizing  our  finds."  And  as  he  spoke  he  quietly 
slipped  his  hand  into  his  pocket  and  smilingly  produced  a 
stone  fully  as  large  as  a  hen's  egg. 

The  colonel  took  it  into  his  hands  and  critically  exam- 
ined it  for  several  minutes.  It  was  most  unmistakably  a 
diamond,  and  that,  too,  of  the  very  finest  water,  without 
the  faintest  trace  of  a  flaw  of  any  kind.  He  remained 
silent  so  long  that  Sir  Reginald  grew  impatient  and  finally 
blurted  out: 

"  Well,  man,  what  is  it?  Is  it  a  diamond,  or  is  it  merely 
a  worthless  piece  of  crystal?     Why  don't  you  speak?" 

"  Simply,"  said  the  colonel  as  he  took  a  final  look  at  it 
against  the  light  and  then  handed  it  back,  "because  I  am 
at  a  loss  for  words  to  express  my  admiration.     It  is  a 


212  THE  JOUENEY   RESUMED.  * 

diamond,  and,  so  far  as  I  know,  the  finest  that  has  ever 
yet  been  brought  to  light.  Its  value  must  be  simply- 
fabulous,  and  I  heartily  congratulate  you  on  its  discovery. 
Where  did  you  find  it?     Was  it  deep  in  the  gravel?" 

"Come  with  me  and  I'll  show  you,"  was  the  reply;  and, 
leading  the  colonel  back  to  the  spot.  Sir  Reginald  quietly 
pointed  to  a  hole  about  eighteen  inches  deep  which  he 
had  excavated,  and  wherein  lay,  side  by  side,  seven  other 
gems  equally  as  fine  as  the  one  he  had  produced. 

"  Help  yourself,  my  dear  fellow,"  he  said  with  a  laugh, 
"and  then  let  us  be  moving;  we  have  our  dinner  to  find 
yet,  you  know." 

Lethbridge  fairly  gasped  for  breath  as  his  eyes  first  fell 
upon  the  magnificent  jewels;  but  he  lost  no  time  in  trans- 
ferring them  to  his  pocket,  and  then  he  turned  to  the 
baronet  and  asked  what  would  be  the  best  thing  for  them 
to  do  next. 

"  Let  us  simply  continue  our  journey,"  answered  the 
baronet.  "  Of  course  if  these  stones  which  we  have  found 
are  really  diamonds,  which  I  do  not  doubt,  since  you 
assure  me  that  they  are,  I  am  as  fully  alive  as  yourself  to 
the  fact  that  a  mine  of  incalculable  wealth  lies  here  at 
our  feet.  But  it  will  not  run  away  within  the  next  few 
days.  Let  us  finish  our  exploration  and  return  to  the 
Flying  Fish.  We  will  then  move  her  to  this  spot,  and  all 
hands  of  us  can  then  go  to  work  at  diamond-hunting  in 
good  earnest.  Meanwhile,  if  these  large  stones  are  of 
such  inestimable  value,  it  seems  to  me  that  they  are  likely 
to  prove,  after  all,  practically  valueless,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  nobody  will  be  found  willing  to  spend  the 
enormous  sum  which  would  enable  him  to  become  a  pur- 
chaser." 


^  A  hunter's  paradise.  213 

"  That  is  very  true,"  answered  the  colonel  with  a  laugh. 
"  The  stones  of  moderate  size  are  what  we  must  hope  to 
realize  upon ;  nevertheless,  I  shall  not  pass  over  such  large 
ones  as  may  happen  to  thrust  themselves  under  my  notice, 
for  if  we  should  fail  to  dispose  of  them,  they  will  still 
come  in  handy  as  ornaments  for  our  future  wives,  in 
which,  notwithstanding  a  remark  you  made  a  little  while 
ago,  I  somehow  have  a  profound  belief.  Now,  if  you  are 
ready  to  march,  so  am  I." 

The  pair  accordingly  shouldered  their  guns,  and,  turn- 
ing their  backs  for  the  time  being  upon  the  diamond 
mine,  continued  their  course  down  the  valley. 

Half  an  hour  later  a  herd  of  reindeer  was  discovered 
browsing  upon  the  lichens  and  mosses  which  grew  plenti- 
fully on  the  rocky  spurs  of  the  range  of  hills  from  which 
the  travellers  were  now  emerging,  and  one  of  these  was 
soon  afterwards  killed  with  little  or  no  difficulty  by 
means  of  a  bullet  from  one  of  the  rifles.  To  such  experi- 
enced hunters  as  Sir  Reginald  and  the  colonel  the  task  of 
"breaking  up"  the  deer  was  an  easy  one,  and,  that  done, 
they  went  into  camp  on  the  spot,  and  feasted  royally  that 
night  upon  reindeer  tongue  and  marrow-bones. 

The  two  following  days  passed  uneventfully,  that  is  to 
say  the  travellers  met  with  no  adventure  specially  worth 
recording.  They  passed  through  extensive  tracts  of  pine 
forest,  and  saw  plenty  of  game,  to  say  nothing  of  such 
valuable  fur-bearing  animals  as  the  sable  and  ermine,  both 
of  which  animals  seemed  to  be  extraordinarily  abundant, 
and  late  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day  they  found 
themselves  at  the  base  of  the  table-land,  after  a  somewhat 
fatiguing  but  most  enjoyable  tramp. 

The  next  day  was  devoted  to  a  thorough  examination  of 


214  A   NATURAL  FORTRESS. 

the  somewhat  remarkable  object  which  they  had  set  out  to 
visit.  It  proved  to  be  an  enormous  mass  of  rock,  nearly- 
circular  in  shape,  about  three  miles  in  circumference,  and 
towering  aloft  from  the  surface  of  the  surrounding  plain 
to  a  height  of  between  three  and  four  thousand  feet,  as 
nearly  as  could  be  measured  without  the  aid  of  instru- 
ments. Their  idea  had  of  course  been  not  only  to  reach 
this  enormous  rock,  but  also  to  ascend  to  its  summit,  but 
this  they  found  to  be  quite  impracticable,  a  journey  round 
it  demonstrating  the  fact  that  on  all  sides  its  cliffs  rose 
perpendicularly  and  without  a  single  break  from  the  base 
to  the  flat  summit.  For  that  time  at  least  they  were  de- 
feated; but  when  they  finally  turned  their  backs  upon 
"  Mount  Mildmay,"  as  they  determined  to  name  it,  it  was 
with  a  fixed  resolve  that,  before  many  days  were  over, 
they  would  reach  the  summit  with  the  aid  of  the  Flying 
Fish. 

Their  journey  back  to  the  ship  was  marked  by  no  more 
noteworthy  incident  than  the  sighting  in  the  distance  of 
a  herd  of  mammoths,  apparently  the  identical  animals 
with  which  they  had  already  had  an  encounter.  They  fol- 
lowed a  somewhat  difierent  route  from  their  outward  one, 
making  a  detour  round  the  group  of  hills  which  inclosed 
the  "  Schalckenberg  Geyser,"  and  arrived  at  the  ship  late 
on  the  evening  of  the  sixth  day  from  their  departure, 
weary  and  somewhat  foot-sore  it  is  true,  but  in  all  other 
respects  in  the  very  best  of  health,  and  with  thoroughly 
pleasant  memories  of  their  journey. 

They  were  of  course  welcomed  with  open  arms  by  the 
two  friends  they  had  left  behind  them.  Mildmay,  under 
the  professor's  skilful  treatment,  was  rapidly  advancing 
toward  complete  recovery;  and  as  for  the  scientist  him- 


VON    SCHALKEN  berg's   DELIGHT.  215 

self,  he  was  jubilant  in  the  highest  degree  over  the  fact 
that  he  had  been  thoroughly  successful  in  his  preparation 
of  that  gigantic  "specimen,"  the  mammoth.  A  great  deal 
of  desultory  conversation  of  course  took  place  within  the 
first  hour  of  the  wanderers'  return;  but  at  last  the  party 
settled  down,  and  then  followed  a  recital  by  Sir  Reginald 
of  the  particulars  of  the  journey.  Both  the  professor  and 
Mildmay  were  of  course  intensely  interested  in  the  story, 
but  in  different  ways.  Mildmay 's  interest  was  merely 
that  of  the  ordinary  travelled  man  of  culture,  but  von 
Schalckenberg  was  disposed  to  regard  everything  from 
the  scientist's  view-point,  and  incessantly  broke  the  con- 
tinuity of  the  narrative  by  a  whole  string  of  questions 
which  neither  Sir  Reginald  nor  the  colonel  could  possibly 
answer.  He  was  extravagantly  delighted  with  both  the 
description  of  the  geyser  and  the  sight  of  the  diamonds, 
and  it  was  difficult  to  say  which  pleased  him  most;  per- 
haps the  most  gratifying  circumstance  to  him  was  the 
information  that  the  geyser  had  been  named  after  him,  at 
all  events  he  begged  most  pathetically  that  the  projected 
visit  to  this  most  interesting  object  might  be  allowed  to 
take  precedence  of  that  to  the  diamond  mine. 

Such  being  the  case,  it  will  readily  be  understood  that 
no  pen  of  mere  ordinary  graphic  power  could  hope  to 
adequately  portray  the  ecstasy  of  enthusiasm  with  which 
the  worthy  man,  two  days  later,  actually  viewed  the 
geyser  itself  from  so  advantageous  a  stand-point  as  the 
deck  of  the  Flying  Fish;  such  a  task  is  utterly  beyond 
the  powers  of  the  present  narrator  and  must  be  left  to  the 
vivid  imagination  of  the  indulgent  reader.  For  over  two 
hours  did  that  amiable  and  learned  scientist  sit  immov- 
ably in  his  deck  chair  with  a  meerschaum  of  abnormal 


216  ON   THE  TOP   OF  MOUNT  MILDMAY. 

dimensions  in  his  mouth,  and  with  his  eyes  beaming  in  a 
rapt  admiration,  which  was  ahnost  adoration,  upon  the 
magnificent  spectacle;  and  it  was  not  until  he  had  been 
solemnly  assured  by  the  others  that  he  would  be  excused 
from  all  participation  in  the  task  of  diamond-hunting  and 
have  full  liberty  to  return  to  the  geyser  and  spend  there 
the  whole  of  the  time  during  which  the  rest  of  the  party 
might  be  so  engaged,  that  he  consented  to  leave  the  spot 
at  all. 

Three  days  were  spent  at  the  diamond  mine;  and,  with 
the  aid  of  proper  tools  obtained  from  the  ship,  this  time 
proved  sufficient  for  the  accumulation  of  such  a  hoard  of 
priceless  gems  as  would,  if  disposed  of  at  even  half  their 
market  value,  realize  a  magnificent  fortune  for  each  of 
the  lucky  finders. 

The  next  move  was  to  the  summit  of  the  flat  table- 
land, which  was  of  course  easily  reached  by  the  Flying 
Fish.  It  proved  to  be,  as  had  already  been  surmised, 
merely  an  enormous  mass  of  bare  rock,  without  a  scrap 
of  soil  or  vegetation  of  any  kind  about  its  surface,  and 
useful  only  as  a  citadel,  into  which,  had  it  been  planted  in 
some  more  accessible  spot  on  the  earth's  surface,  it  would 
undoubtedly  have  been  converted,  in  which  case  it  would 
have  eclipsed  even  Gibraltar  itself  in  the  matter  of  im- 
pregnability. Useless  as  it  was,  however,  w^here  it  stood, 
its  summit  aflforded  an  admirable  look-out;  and  from  that 
point  of  vantage  the  travellers  made  the  discovery  that 
'' Elphinstone  Land"  was  an  island,  the  horizon  at  that 
elevation  being  bounded  by  the  sea  on  every  side.  The 
rock  was  roughly  circular  in  shape,  with  a  circumference 
of  about  three  miles,  and  the  travellers  made  the  circuit 
of  the  summit  in  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  pausing  at 


"THIS   IS  THE   NORTH  POLE!"  217 

frequent  intervals  to  admire  and  enjoy  the  magnificent 
panorama  of  woods  and  hills  and  streams  which  lay 
spread  out  beneath  them.  Herds  of  elk,  reindeer,  and 
musk-oxen  were  seen  dotted  about  here  and  there  on  the 
plains  below,  as  well  as  a  skulking  wolf  or  two,  a  few 
Arctic  foxes,  and  other  wild  animals.  The  herd  of  mam- 
moths— apparently  the  only  herd  in  the  island — was  also 
seen;  and,  with  the  aid  of  their  telescopes,  the  travellers 
were  also  able  to  make  out,  far  away  at  sea,  certain  dark 
moving  spots  which,  from  their  alternate  appearance 
above  and  disappearance  beneath  the  surface,  they  judged 
to  be  whales. 

The  chief  business  of  the  travellers,  however,  on  the 
summit  of  "Mount  Mildmay"  was  to  ascertain  whether 
or  no  the  North  Pole  of  the  earth  was  or  was  not  situated 
within  its  circumference.  This  was  rightly  regarded  as 
a  matter  of  such  great  importance  that  several  days  were 
unhesitatingly  devoted  to  its  settlement;  and  Mildmay, 
the  professor,  and  Colonel  Lethbridge  were  busy  from 
breakfast  time  in  the  morning  until  dinner-time  at  night, 
making  the  most  careful  observations  and  working  out 
the  necessary  calculations.  These  were  at  length  satis- 
factorily completed — not  one  moment  too  soon,  for  the 
sun  was  daily  dropping  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  horizon 
— and  the  trio  were  enabled,  not  only  to  say  that  the 
North  Pole  luas  contained  within  the  limits  of  the  summit, 
but  to  plant  their  feet  upon  it  and  to  say  unhesitatingly 
and  authoritatively: 

"THIS  IS  THE  NORTH  POLE!" 

The  position  having  thus  been  accurately  determined, 
the  next  thing  was  to  mark  the  spot. 


218  MARKING  THE   POSITION    OF  THE   POLE. 

With  this  object  a  large  triangle  was  first  described 
about  it,  and  a  point  was  carefully  marked  off  on  each  of 
its  sides  in  such  a  position  that  a  line  tightly  strained 
from  such  point  to  the  opposite  angle  of  the  triangle 
would  pass  directly  through  the  pole.  This  done,  an  ex- 
cavation six  feet  deep  in  the  solid  rock  was  made,  and  in 
its  bottom  was  deposited  a  tightly-sealed  bottle  contain- 
ing a  small  parchment  scroll,  on  which  w^as  inscribed  a 
brief  statement  of  the  circumstances  connected  with  the 
discovery  of  the  spot,  with  the  date,  and  the  signatures  of 
the  joint  discoverers.  This  bottle  was  carefully  packed 
in  and  buried  up  with  small  fragments  of  rock,  and 
made  finally  secure  by  a  covering  of  excellent  concrete, 
the  materials  for  compounding  which  had  been  carefully 
and  with  infinite  labour  prepared  by  the  professor.  Then, 
when  the  concrete  had  become  properly  hardened,  a  sub- 
stantial flagstaff  of  aethereum  was  stepped  into  the  hole 
in  a  position  accurately  corresponding  with  the  North 
Pole  of  the  earth,  and  also  made  secure  by  being  built 
in  or  *'set"  in  concrete,  which  completely  filled  the  hole. 
The  professor  next,  with  the  aid  of  a  diamond,  engraved 
on  the  staff,  in  bold  conspicuous  characters,  at  a  height  of 
five  feet  from  the  ground,  the  words: 

"  This  staff  marks  the  exact  position  of  the  North  Pole 
of  the  earth"  And  finally,  amid  cheers  from  the  rest  of 
the  party.  Sir  Keginald  Elphinstone  ran  the  Union  Jack 
up  to  the  staff  head  and  knotted  the  halliards  so  that  it 
would  remain  there,  thus  formally  claiming  for  the 
British  nation  the  honour  of  actual  discovery. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

SOUTHWARD   HO! 


0  important  a  matter  as  the  localization  of  the 
Pole  having  thus  been  satisfactorily  disposed  of, 
it  was  next  resolved  to  effect  a  thorough  ex- 
ploration of  the  entire  island,  including  its  circumnaviga- 
tion. This,  with  the  aid  of  the  Flying  Fish,  was  pretty- 
effectually  accomplished  in  a  fortnight,  after  which  the 
ship  returned  to  her  original  anchorage  in  the  harbour, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  island,  now  named  Lethbridge 
Cove. 

Both  the  forests  and  the  adjacent  waters  of  this 
favoured  hyperborean  land  were  found  to  be  literally 
swarming  with  game  and  other  animals,  some  of  which 
afforded  in  their  flesh  a  welcome  change  from  the  pre- 
served meats  with  which  the  ship's  larder  was  stocked, 
whilst  the  chief  value  of  others  lay  in  their  "pelts"  or 
skins;  and,  the  hydrographic  features  of  the  island  hav- 
ing been  carefully  ascertained  and  recorded,  the  party, 
with  the  exception  of  von  Schalckenberg,  now  gave 
themselves  up  unreservedly  to  the  pleasures  of  the  chase. 
The  professor's  tastes  lay  more  in  the  direction  of  geology, 
mineralogy,  and  botany,  though  he  was  also  an  enthusi- 
astic naturalist,  and  thus,  whilst  he  sallied  forth  every 


220  BIDDING   FAREWELL   TO   THE   SUN. 

morning  armed  with  gun,  hammer,  specimen  box  for  his 
botanical  treasures,  and  bag  for  his  minerals,  the  three 
others  went  their  several  ways,  either  armed  with  traps 
and  guns  in  search  of  game,  or  in  one  of  the  boats,  duly- 
provided  with  dredger, net, and  line, in  quest  of  ocean  spoils. 
Thus  employed,  the  short  remainder  of  the  Arctic  sum- 
mer swiftly  passed  away;  the  sun  daily  sank  nearer  and 
nearer  the  horizon;  the  temperature  fell;  frost  made  its 
appearance,  hardening  the  soil  beneath  the  tread  and 
coating  the  pools  and  puddles  and  morasses  with  an  ever- 
thickening  sheet  of  ice  and  the  vegetation  with  a  delicate 
tracery  of  silver;  and  at  length  the  day  came  when  the 
anchor  was  lifted  and  the  Flying  Fish  moved  some  few 
miles  out  to  sea  to  enable  her  occupants  to  witness  the 
final  disappearance  of  the  sun  beneath  the  southern 
horizon.  Some  anxiety  had  been  experienced  by  the 
travellers  for  the  last  few  days,  as  clouds  had  been 
gathering  in  the  sky,  with  every  indication  of  a  speedy 
change  of  weather,  and  it  was  feared  that  the  sight, 
which  they  had  long  been  promising  themselves,  would, 
after  all,  be  denied  them;  but  at  the  last  moment,  or 
rather  at  the  last  hour,  fortune  proved  favourable  to 
them;  the  cloud-bank  broke  up  along  the  south-western 
horizon,  the  vapours  grouped  themselves  into  a  series  of 
imposingly  picturesque  masses,  all  aflame  with  the  most 
gorgeous  tints  of  sunset,  and  from  a  little  after  eleven 
o'clock  until  shortly  after  noon  the  thin  golden  upper 
edge  of  the  luminary's  disc  was  visible  sweeping  imper- 
ceptibly along  the  purple  horizon,  until  finally,  as  it 
reached  the  point  of  disappearance,  it  glimmered  feebly 
for  a  moment,  and,  whilst  the  travellers  stood  w^atching 
it  bare-headed,  sank  out  of  sight.     The  Arctic  day  was 


WINTER   AT  THE   NORTH   POLE.  221 

over,  and  the  six  months  of  night  and  winter  had  set  in. 
Not,  it  must  be  understood,  that  darkness  set  in  imme- 
diately— far  from  it;  for  several  succeeding  days  there 
ensued  a  weird,  delicious,  magic,  and  ever-deepening  twi- 
light; but  by  the  eighth  day  after  the  sun's  final  disap- 
pearance this  also  had  vanished,  and  night  reigned  with 
undisputed  sway. 

And  now,  too,  winter  laid  its  icy  hand  with  unrelent- 
ing grasp  upon  this  beauteous  polar  island;  not,  however, 
to  desolate  it  with  storm  and  howling  tempest  and  the 
deadly  cold  with  which  he  visits  less  favoured  climes,  but 
only  to  add  newer  and  more  unaccustomed  beauties  to 
the  scene.  It  is  true  that  for  the  first  fortnight  after  the 
disappearance  of  the  sun  the  weather  wore  a  more  or  less 
unsettled  aspect.  The  sky  became  overcast  with  a  canopy 
of  cloud  which,  light  and  fleecy  at  first,  steadily  increased 
in  density;  and  at  length,  on  the  travellers  emerging  from 
the  pilot-house  one  morning  after  breakfast,  they  found 
the  motionless  air  thick  with  falling  snow,  which,  settling 
noiselessly  down,  had  already  covered  the  deck  to  a  depth 
of  some  three  inches.  The  darkness  was  of  course  intense, 
so  much  so,  indeed,  that  it  was  impossible  to  see  for  a 
distance  of  half  the  length  of  the  ship,  and  for  all  that  they 
could  see  of  the  land  it  might  as  well  have  been  a  hun- 
dred miles  distant. 

This  state  of  things  lasted  without  intermission  for  the 
ensuing  four  days  and  kept  the  travellers  close  prisoners 
on  board  their  ship.  This,  however,  they  in  nowise  re- 
gretted; indeed  this  short  breathing  space  was  positively 
welcome  to  them,  for  they  had  plenty  of  work  to  do; 
and,  shut  up  warm  and  snug  on  board  the  Flying  Fish, 
with  all   her  saloons,  cabins,   and   corridors   brilliantly 


222  A   MAGNIFICENT   SPECTACLE. 

illuminated  by  the  electric  light,  they  busied  themselves 
in  carefully  preparing  and  curing  the  many  unique  speci- 
mens of  natural  history  and  the  various  choice  skins  and 
furs  they  had  already  accumulated. 

But  on  the  morning  of  the  fifth  day  they  found  that 
another  change  of  weather  had  taken  place,  and,  on  going 
out  on  deck,  a  glorious  spectacle  greeted  their  delighted 
eyes.  The  snowfall  had  ceased,  the  sky  was  once  more 
cloudless,  and  the  deep  sapphire  blue  was  studded  with 
countless  myriads  of  scintillating  stars  that  gleamed  with 
the  cold  sharp  lustre  which  is  seen  only  in  periods  of 
very  severe  frost.  But  it  was  not  the  brilliant  starlight, 
beautiful  though  that  was,  which  drew  ejaculations  of 
wonder  and  delight  from  the  lips  of  the  entranced  be- 
holders; it  was  another  and  a  rarer  sight  which  excited 
their  admiration.  As  they  looked,  the  sky  immediately 
overhead,  and  for  a  distance  of  some  twenty  degrees  all 
round  from  the  zenith,  became  tinged  with  the  softest  and 
most  delicate  rose-colour,  bordering  which  there  suddenly 
appeared  a  broad  circle  of  flashing  rays  of  light,  blood- 
red  at  the  inner  rim  of  the  circle,  and  merging  from 
thence  through  the  richest  purple  into  brilliant  blue,  and 
from  thence,  through  green  of  every  conceivable  tint,  into 
a  clear  dazzling  yellow  at  the  points  of  the  rays.  These 
superbly-tinted  rays  were  animated  by  a  constant  motion, 
now  withdrawing  themselves  into  the  main  body  of  the 
circle  as  into  a  sheath,  and  anon  darting  out  again  until 
they  almost  reached  the  horizon;  and  so  delicately  trans- 
parent were  they  that,  notwithstanding  their  brilliant 
colour,  the  stars  were  distinctly  perceptible  through  them. 
This  magnificent  spectacle  continued  for  a  full  hour  with 
ever-increasing  brilliancy,  suflusing  sea  and  land  with  a 


THE  BEAUTIES   OF  THE  POLAR  NIGHT.  223 

quivering  glow  of  prismatic  light,  and  imparting  an 
aspect  of  magic,  unearthly,  indescribable  beauty  to  the 
scene.  Then  the  colours  gradually  faded,  the  flashes  be- 
came more  feeble,  and  the  darting  rays  ever  shorter  and 
shorter,  until  they  finally  faded  completely  away,  to  be 
succeeded  shortly  afterwards  by  the  keen  silvery  radi- 
ance of  the  young  crescent  moon  which  slowly  rolled 
upwards  from  the  horizon,  and,  shedding  her  subdued 
light  upon  the  snow-clad  landscape,  invested  it  with  an 
air  of  bewitching  mystery  and  unreality  which  was  dis- 
tinctly heightened  by  the  profound  impressive  silence  of 
the  lono^  Arctic  nio^ht. 

With  nature  thus  presenting  herself  to  the  travellers 
in  so  novel  and  attractive  a  guise  a  month  swiftly  passed 
away,  during  which  they  tended  their  traps  or  prosecuted 
their  hunting  expeditions  under  the  glorious  light  of  the 
aurora,  the  cold  steel-like  radiance  of  the  silver  moon,  or 
the  dim  mysterious  starlight;  alternating  these  open-air 
employments  with  assiduous  devotion  to  their  easels,  in 
sufficiently  clever  but  altogether  unsuccessful  efforts  to 
adequately  transfer  to  canvas  the  entrancing  beauties  of 
the  Arctic  scenery  and  phenomena  which  constantly 
charmed  their  delighted  eyes. 

Toward  the  end  of  October,  however,  the  temperature 
had  fallen  so  low  that  ice  had  begun  to  form  all  along 
the  coast-line  of  Elphinstone  Land,  and  the  weather  had 
taken  a  decided  change  for  the  worse.  Moreover,  the 
party  had  accumulated  so  much  extra  weight  in  the  shape 
of  valuable  skins,  natural  history  specimens,  and  other 
curiosities,  as  to  seriously  affect  the  buoyancy  of  the  Fly- 
ing Fish  as  an  aerial  ship;  and  they  therefore  at  last — 
more  than  half -reluctantly — came  to  the  determination 


224  FAREWELL  TO   THE   POLE. 

to  desert  the  enchanted  region  of  the  Pole  and  wend  their 
way  southward. 

Accordingly,  on  the  morning  of  the  first  day  of  No- 
vember the  anchor  was  hove  up;  the  vapour  was  turned 
into  the  air  and  water  chambers,  producing  an  almost 
perfect  vacuum;  and,  rising  into  the  air  to  an  altitude  of 
about  ten  thousand  feet,  the  Flying  Fish  turned  her  nose 
southward,  and,  illumined  by  the  dazzling  eflfulgence  of 
the  most  glorious  aurora  the  voyagers  had  ever  seen,  was 
sent  ahead  at  the  utmost  limit  of  her  speed. 

It  was  determined  to  return  to  England  forthwith,  and 
without  pause  or  stoppage  of  any  kind,  unless  some  un- 
foreseen necessity  should  arise,  the  object  being  to  dis- 
pose of  their  various  acquisitions  previous  to  a  renewal 
of  their  wanderings.  The  elevation  at  starting  was  there- 
fore maintained,  and  the  ship  pursued  her  headlong  flight 
to  the  southward  with  only  one  man — Mildmay — in  the 
pilot-house  to  take  charge  and  enact  the  part  of  look-out; 
the  remainder  busying  themselves  in  packing  up  their 
various  treasures  for  transference  to  safe  -  keeping  on 
shore.  The  pilot-house,  like  every  other  habitable  portion 
of  the  ship,  was  maintained  at  a  comfortable  temperature 
by  means  of  pipes  communicating  with  the  vapour-gene- 
rating chamber  in  the  engine-room  below;  and,  reclining 
at  his  ease  in  a  most  luxurious  lounging  chair,  the  lieu- 
tenant had  nothing  to  do  but  maintain  a  vigilant  look- 
out through  the  circular  windows,  and  solace  himself 
with  his  pipe  meanwhile.  The  ship's  speed  through  the 
air  was  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  per  hour; 
and  by  their  calculations  they  expected  to  overtake  the 
sun  in  about  latitude  79°  49'  N.;  if,  therefore,  the  Flying 
Fish  maintained  her  speed,  the  sun  ought  to  appear  once 


THE   SOLITARY   WATCHER.  225 

more  above  the  horizon  in  four  hours  thirty-five  and  a 
half  minutes  from  the  time  of  starting — Lethbridge  Cove 
being  situated  in  exactly  89°  0'  N.  latitude.  It  was  exactly 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  they  started;  conse- 
quently, if  their  calculations  were  right,  the  sun  ought 
to  make  his  appearance  at  thirty-five  and  a  half  minutes 
past  one ;  and  it  was  this  phenomenon  for  which  Mildmay 
was  chiefly  watching,  his  companions  being  anxious  to 
have  the  unique  experience  of  seeing  the  luminary  rise 
an  hour  and  a  half  past  mid-day.  And  it  was  for  this 
reason,  and  in  order  that  they  might  not  on  the  one  hand 
be  taken  by  surprise  by  being  hurried  southward  on 
the  wings  of  a  favouring  gale,  or  on  the  other  hand  be 
delayed  by  a  possible  adverse  one,  that  the  elevation  of 
ten  thousand  feet  had  been  selected,  this  being  well  within 
the  limits  of  the  neutral  belt,  or  zone  of  motionless  air. 

Not  to  be  caught  napping,  Mildmay  extinguished  the 
electric  light  in  the  pilot-house  as  the  musical  gong  of 
the  clock  suspended  therein  struck  the  hour  of  one;  after 
which  he  rose  to  his  feet  and  took  a  good  look  round  on 
all  sides.  There  was,  however,  nothing  to  be  seen  save  a 
vast  sea  of  cloud  beneath  his  feet  and  on  all  sides,  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach,  softly  illumined  by  the  light  of 
the  star-studded  heavens  above.  But  even  as  he  looked 
a  just  perceptible  paleness  in  the  deep  velvety  blue  of  the 
sky  to  the  southward  attracted  his  attention.  He  looked 
more  intently.  Yes,  there  could  be  no  mistake  about  it; 
that  pallor  of  the  southern  sky  was  undoubtedly  the  first 
faint  indication  of  the  approaching  dawn ;  and  he  at  once 
struck  two  strokes — the  appointed  signal — upon  the  great 
mellow-toned  bell  which  hung  in  the  pilot-house. 

The  call  was  promptly  answered  by  the  appearance 

(359)  P 


226  AN   UNIQUE   EXPERIENCE.      ^ 

of  his  three  fellow-voyagers,  who,  abandoning  whatever 
they  had  in  hand,  rushed  helter-skelter  up  the  saloon 
staircase  and  into  the  pilot-house,  anxious  to  lose  no 
scrap  of  that,  to  them,  now  novel  sight,  sunrise. 

Rapidly  yet  imperceptibly  the  pale  dawn  stole  upward 
into  the  sky;  the  lustrous  stars  waxed  dim  before  it,  and 
one  by  one  twinkled  out  of  sight;  a  faint  roseate  flush 
tinged  the  sky  along  the  horizon,  brightened  first  into  a 
rich  orange,  then  into  purest  amber,  the  colours  being 
faintly  reflected  on  the  most  distant  edges  of  the  vast 
cloud-bank  floating  below;  and  at  length,  just  as  the 
hands  of  the  clock  marked  thirty-five  minutes  after  one, 
an  arrowy  shaft  of  pure  white  light  shot  upward  into  the 
sky,  swiftly  followed  by  another  and  another;  and  then, 
with  a  dazzling  flash  of  golden  light,  the  upper  edge  of 
the  sun's  disc  rose  slowly  into  view,  soaring  higher  and 
higher  until  the  whole  of  the  glorious  luminary  was  re- 
vealed, whilst  the  rolling  sea  of  cloud  above  which  the 
Flying  Fish  skimmed  glowed  softly  beneath  his  beams 
with  varying  tints  of  the  most  exquisite  opal. 

This  return  to  the  realms  of  day  had  a  curious  eflfect 
upon  the  travellers.  They  had  not  been  conscious  of  the 
least  depression  of  spirits  consequent  upon  their  sojourn 
of  more  than  a  month  in  the  region  of  uninterrupted 
night,  but  it  must  have  aflfected  them,  however  uncon- 
sciously, to  no  inconsiderable  extent,  for  now,  at  the  first 
glimpse  of  sunshine,  their  spirits  rose  to  an  extravagant 
height;  they  felt  as  though  they  had  just  effected  their 
escape  from  some  terrible  doom,  and  they  were  irresistibly 
impelled  to  shake  hands  with  each  other,  to  exchange 
congratulations,  and  to  talk  all  together,  laughing  up- 
roariously at  even  the  feeblest  attempt  at  jocularity. 


A   KNOTTY  QUESTION   TO   SETTLE.  227 

The  thoughts  of  the  quartette  were,  however,  speedily 
diverted  by  the  ever -imperturbable  George,  who  now 
sounded  the  gong  for  luncheon,  and  the  whole  party  at 
once  trundled  below,  leaving  the  ship  to  take  care  of 
herself,  as  they  very  safely  might,  seeing  that  she  was 
now  travelling  down  the  "first"  meridian,  or  that  of 
Greenwich,  with  no  land  ahead  nearer  than  the  Shetland 
Islands,  more  than  a  thousand  miles  distant. 

After  luncheon,  however,  the  whole  party  returned  to 
the  pilot-house,  where  they  spent  the  time  smoking  and 
chatting,  talking  over  their  past  adventures,  and  maturing 
their  further  plans,  until  sunset,  when,  their  short  day 
having  come  to  an  end,  they  once  more  retired  below  to 
complete  their  preparations  for  a  flying  visit  to  London 
previous  to  a  resumption  of  their  wanderings. 

The  question  of  the  disposal  of  the  Flying  Fish  during 
the  short  period  of  their  absence  from  her  had  greatly 
exercised  their  minds  for  a  time.  They  were  anxious  still 
to  avoid  for  the  present,  if  possible,  anything  approaching 
to  notoriety  or  the  attraction  of  public  notice  to  their 
proceedings,  and  they  felt  that  this  could  scarcely  be  done 
if  they  ventured  to  take  so  singularly  modelled  a  ship 
into  any  British  port,  however  insignificant;  moreover, 
there  are  very  few  harbours  or  havens  on  the  British 
coast  capable  of  receiving  a  ship  with  such  an  excessive 
draught  of  water — namely,  forty  feet — as  that  of  the 
Flying  Fish.  So  they  finally  decided  to  sink  her  ofi*  the 
Isle  of  Wight  (first  of  all,  of  course,  taking  the  precaution 
to  accurately  ascertain  the  bearings  of  her  berth),  and  to 
proceed  to  Portsmouth  in  the  two  boats,  taking  with 
them  the  spoils  of  their  polar  expedition,  and  trusting  to 
their  own  ingenuity  to  evade  such  suspicions  and  specu- 


228  OLD  ENGLAND  ONCE  MORE. 

lations  as  might  be  engendered  by  the  somewhat  singular 
circumstances  connected  with  their  arrival,  es^^ecially  as 
the  hour — about  half-past  four  o'clock  on  the  following 
morning — at  which  they  would  reach  the  Wight  would 
be  favourable  to  the  execution  of  their  plan. 

The  night  was  intensely  dark,  with  a  fresh  north- 
easterly gale  blowing,  accompanied  by  frequent  rain- 
squalls,  as  the  voyagers  found  on  descending  to  within 
about  a  thousand  feet  of  the  level  of  the  sea  at  midnight, 
in  order  to  discover,  if  possible,  their  whereabouts.  But 
they  could  see  nothing  save  the  lights  of  a  few  ships  and 
fishing  craft  dotted  about  here  and  there;  the  appearance 
of  the  latter  indicating  that  they  had  already  approached 
to  within  a  short  distance  of  the  land;  nor  did  they  sight 
anything  by  which  to  fix  their  position  until  first  the 
light  on  Flamborough  Head  and  then  that  on  Spurn 
Point  flashed  into  view  out  of  the  murky  darkness.  Then 
indeed,  having  satisfactorily  identified  those  lights,  they 
knew  exactly  where  they  were;  the  course  was  altered 
and  shaped  anew  directly  for  the  spot  of  their  intended 
descent,  and  the  ship  once  more  soared  to  her  former 
elevation. 

At  twenty  minutes  after  four  o'clock  a.m.  a  second 
descent  was  made,  when  it  was  found  that  they  were 
passing  over  hilly  country  which  they  surmised  to  be 
that  situated  about  the  borders  of  the  three  counties  of 
Surrey,  Hants,  and  Sussex;  and  almost  immediately 
afterwards  the  lights  on  the  forts  in  progress  of  construc- 
tion at  Spithead  came  into  view,  together  with  the  anchor- 
lights  of  two  or  three  men-o'-war  in  the  roadstead,  and 
they  knew  that  the  first  part  of  their  journey  was  almost 
accomplished. 


229 

Precisely  at  half-past  four  o'clock  the  Flying  Fish  took 
the  water  about  two  miles  to  the  eastward  of  the 
"Noman"  fort,  and  her  occupants  at  once  began  the 
search  for  a  suitable  berth  for  her — a  berth,  that  is  to  say, 
in  a  position  where  she  would  not  be  likely  to  be  dis- 
covered by  the  fishermen,  and  where  the  depth  of  water 
would  be  sufficient  to  permit  of  the  largest  man-o'-war 
passing  over  her  submerged  hull  without  striking  upon 
it.  To  discover  such  a  spot  proved  by  no  means  an  easy 
task ;  but  it  was  accomplished  at  last,  though  at  a  distance 
considerably  farther  out  to  sea  than  they  had  bargained 
for,  and  at  half -past  five  o'clock  her  anchor  was  let  go  in 
the  selected  berth.  Cross  bearings  were  then  most  carefully 
taken  and  entered  in  each  of  the  travellers'  pocket-books, 
after  which  the  next  task  was  to  get  their  varied  spoils 
into  the  boats  and  the  boats  themselves  into  the  water. 
This  was  soon  done,  and  then  all  hands,  including  George 
and  the  chef,  but  excluding  the  professor,  entered  the 
boats  and  shoved  oflf  a  few  fathoms  from  the  ship's  side, 
where  they  anchored. 

The  first  faint  signs  of  dawn  were  just  appearing  in  the 
eastern  sky  when  it  became  apparent  to  those  in  the  boats 
that  the  huge  bulk  of  the  Flying  Fish  was  disappearing. 
Steadily  but  imperceptibly  she  settled  lower  and  lower  in 
the  water  until  her  deck  was  awash  and  nothing  but  her 
pilot-house  remained  visible  in  the  dim  ghostly  light  of 
the  early  morning.  A  minute  more  and  this  too  had 
disappeared,  and,  as  the  waves  washed  over  its  top,  the 
baronet  carefully  lowered  over  the  side  of  his  boat  a  rope- 
ladder,  well  weighted  at  the  bottom  and  with  an  unlit 
electric  lamp  attached  to  it  in  such  a  position  as  to  hang 
suspended  at  a  height  of  about  six  feet  above  the  bed  of 


230  TERMINATION   OF  THE   FIRST   CRUISE. 

the  sea.  This  lamp  was  of  course  attached  to  a  battery 
in  the  boat,  and  as  soon  as  Sir  Reginald  felt  the  weights 
at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  touch  bottom  he  sent  the  current 
through  the  insulated  wire,  a  patch  of  vivid  white  light, 
like  a  patch  of  moonlight,  immediately  shining  out 
beneath  the  waves  and  showing  that  the  lantern  was 
properly  performing  its  duty.     Then  they  waited. 

Not  for  very  long,  however.  An  interval  of  perhaps 
five  minutes  elapsed,  and  then  a  quivering  jerky  motion 
became  communicated  to  the  rope-ladder,  followed  a 
minute  later  by  the  appearance  of  von  Schalckenberg  in 
his  suit  of  diving  armour.  He  stepped  quietly  into  the 
boat,  and  whilst  he  busied  himself  in  doffing  his  glitter- 
ing panoply,  the  lamp  was  extinguished,  the  ladder  hauled 
inboard,  the  anchors  tripped,  and  the  two  boats  made 
their  way  slowly  to  the  westward,  heading  in  for  Nettle- 
stone  Point  and  the  Solent. 

They  arrived  at  Portsmouth  about  half-past  seven 
o'clock,  and  Sir  Reginald  at  once  made  his  way  to  the 
Custom  House  to  get  the  boats'  cargoes  cleared.  He  was 
fortunate  enough  to  find  in  the  collector  a  man  with 
whom  he  had  had  several  previous  transactions,  and  who 
was  consequently  pretty  well  acquainted  with  him.  This 
facilitated  matters  greatly,  and  by  half -past  eight  the 
duty  (a  very  considerable  sum)  had  been  paid  and  the 
goods  passed,  so  that  nothing  further  remained  but  to 
land  everything  and  have  it  conveyed  to  the  railway- 
station  for  transmission  to  town.  This  done  the  two 
boats  were  taken  into  "  The  Camber "  and  put  under 
the  care  of  a  trustworthy  man,  after  which  the  party 
breakfasted  at  the  "  George,"  proceeding  to  town  directly 
afterwards  by  the  twelve-o'clock  express. 


CHAPTER  XY. 


A   TROOP   OF   UNICORNS. 


WEEK  later,  the  four  friends  once  more  found 
themselves  beneath  the  roof  of  "  The  Migrants'/' 
where  it  had  been  arranged  that  they  were  to 
meet  and  take  luncheon  together  prior  to  their  journey 
down  to  Portsmouth  to  rejoin  the  Flying  Fish.  On  com- 
paring notes  it  was  found  that  each  had,  according  to  his 
own  views,  made  the  best  possible  use  of  his  time,  the  pro- 
fessor having  not  only  placed  the  mammoth's  skin  in  the 
hands  of  an  eminent  taxidermist,  but  also  prepared  and 
read  before  the  Royal  Society  a  paper  on  "The  Open 
Polar  Sea,"  which  had  created  a  profound  impression  on 
the  collective  mind  of  that  august  body;  Lethbridge  and 
Mildmay  had  seized  the  opportunity  for  paying  a  too-long- 
deferred  visit  to  their  respective  mothers;  and  Sir  Regin- 
ald had,  acting  upon  the  best  obtainable  advice,  conveyed 
the  four  parcels  of  diamonds  belonging  to  the  party  over 
to  Amsterdam,  where  they  had  been  left  in  the  care  of  a 
thoroughly  trustworthy  diamond  merchant,  with  instruc- 
tions that  certain  of  the  jewels  were  to  be  cut  and  set  in 
the  handsomest  possible  manner,  whilst  the  rest  were  to 
be  disposed  of  as  opportunity  might  offer.  The  furs  were 
also  satisfactorily  got  rid  of;  some  of  them  having  been 


232  A   LIVELY   MEAL. 

sold,  and  the  remainder  (consisting  of  all  the  choicest 
skins)  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  furriers  to  be  cured  and 
taken  care  of  until  their  owners  should  return  to  claim 
them. 

The  luncheon  was  a  very  lively  meal;  the  conversation 
naturally  turning  to  the  last  occasion  upon  which  the 
travellers  had  met  there;  and  upon  its  conclusion  the  four 
friends  chartered  a  couple  of  hansoms,  which  conveyed 
them  to  Waterloo  station  in  good  time  for  the  Portsmouth 
express. 

On  their  arrival  at  the  Harbour  station  they  found 
George  and  his  French  friend,  the  cook  (both  of  whom 
had  been  granted  a  week's  leave),  dutifully  awaiting 
them  on  the  platform.  The  boats,  under  the  care  of  the 
man  who  had  been  placed  in  charge  of  them,  were  lying 
alongside  the  adjacent  slipway,  in  accordance  with  a 
telegraphed  arrangement  which  had  preceded  the  travel- 
lers; and,  entering  these,  the  party  at  once  proceeded 
down  the  harbour,  past  Southsea  and  its  castle,  and  out 
toward  Nettlestone  Point.  It  was  by  this  time  quite 
dark,  save  for  the  light  of  the  young  moon,  which  was 
already  near  her  setting,  and  the  boats  were  consequently 
at  once  urged  to  their  full  speed  in  the  direction  where 
the  Flying  Fish  had  been  left. 

Having  originally  taken  their  cross  bearings  wholly 
from  the  shore  lights,  the  voyagers  had  now  no  difficulty 
whatever  in  placing  the  boats  in  their  proper  position. 
Arrived  on  the  spot,  a  sounding-line  was  dropped  over 
the  side,  and  the  first  cast  showed  that  they  were  floating 
exactly  over  the  submerged  ship.  The  boats  were  there- 
fore allowed  to  drift  with  the  tide  until  they  were  clear  of 
the  Flying  Fish,  when  Sir  Reginald  dropped  his  anchor 


THE  TRAVELLERS   REJOIN   THEIR  SHIP.  233 

and  ladder,  and  the  professor,  who  had  already  routed  out 
from  the  stern  locker  and  donned  his  diving  armour, 
stepped  over  the  side,  adjusted  his  weights,  and  quietly 
disappeared  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water.  A  lapse 
of  perhaps  a  minute  occurred,  when  the  ladder  was  found 
to  be  hanging  limp  and  loose;  a  bright  white  light  flashed 
upward  through  the  water  for  a  moment,  as  a  signal  from 
the  professor  that  he  had  reached  the  bottom  all  right; 
and  then  the  luminous  beam  was  seen  moving  slowly 
forward  over  the  bottom  in  the  direction  of  the  submerged 
ship.     Suddenly  the  light  vanished. 

"He  has  reached  the  ship,"  the  baronet  reported  to 
those  in  the  other  boat,  who  were  alternately  drifting 
with  the  tide  and  moving  up  against  it  to  maintain  an 
easy  speaking  distance  from  their  consort.  A  quarter  of 
an  hour  passed,  and  then  a  brilliant,  dazzling  flood  of 
light  streamed  out  for  about  ten  seconds  at  apparently 
no  great  distance  below  the  surface,  then  vanished  again. 

"  All  right,"  remarked  Sir  Reginald  as  soon  as  he  saw 
this;  "he  has  reached  the  pilot-house.  Now,  George,  up 
with  the  anchor,  my  good  fellow,  and  we  will  back  oflf  a 
few  yards  out  of  harm's  way." 

The  boats  accordingly  did  so,  von  Schalckenberg  allow- 
ing them  ten  minutes  for  the  operation;  then,  with  a 
sudden  rush  and  swirl  of  water,  the  huge  bulk  of  the 
Flying  Fish  appeared  above  the  surface,  looming  black, 
vast,  and  mysterious  against  the  faintly  luminous  horizon. 
A  moment  more,  and  the  windows  of  the  pilot-house 
shone  out  a  series  of  luminous  discs  against  the  darkness, 
showing  that  the  professor  had  lighted  up  the  interior, 
and  that  individual  himself  appeared  on  deck  hailing  the 
invisible  boats  with: 


234  "FRESH   FIELDS,    AND   PASTURES   NEW. 


''It  is  all  right;  everything  is  just  as  we  left  it,  and 
you  may  come  on  board  as  soon  as  you  like." 

Ten  minutes  later  the  boats  had  been  hoisted  in  and 
stowed  away,  and  the  Flying  Fish,  at  an  elevation  of 
some  three  hundred  feet  above  the  sea-level,  was  moving 
to  the  southward  and  eastward  across  the  placid  waters 
of  the  Channel,  at  the  moderate  rate  of  some  five-and- 
twenty  miles  per  hour.  At  midnight,  however,  after  a 
little  music  and  conversation,  the  pace  was  quickened  to 
about  one  hundred  miles  per  hour;  the  altitude  was  at 
the  same  time  increased  to  ten  thousand  feet;  the  course 
was  set  to  south,  by  compass,  and  the  travellers,  with  a 
feeling  of  perfect  security,  retired  to  rest,  confident  that 
the  professor's  clever  automatic  devices  would  not  only 
maintain  the  ship  at  her  then  elevation,  but  would  also 
steer  her  straight  in  the  required  direction. 

On  the  following  morning  at  daybreak  the  travellers 
found  themselves  hovering  over  the  blue  Mediterranean, 
with  the  African  coast  at  no  great  distance,  and  a  town 
of  considerable  size  directly  ahead.  This  town  was  soon 
identified  as  Tunis  (near  which  is  the  site  of  ancient 
Carthage),  and  they  shortly  afterwards  passed  over  it, 
not  unnoticed  by  the  inhabitants,  who,  with  the  aid  of 
the  telescope,  could  be  seen  pointing  upward  at  the  ship 
in  evident  consternation.  Then  on  over  the  chain  of  hills 
beyond  the  town,  and  they  once  more  found  themselves 
with  the  sea  beneath  them,  the  ship's  course  causing  her 
to  just  skirt  the  Gulf  of  Hammamet,  whilst  they  obtained 
a  splendid  view  of  Lake  Kairwan  and  the  three  streams 
which  it  absorbs.  Then  past  Capes  Dimas  and  Kadijah, 
across  the  Gulf  of  Cabes,  and  so  on  to  Tripoli,  which  was 
reached  and  passed  soon  after  the  party  had  risen  from 


A   LIKELY   HUNTING   DISTRICT.  235 

breakfast.  At  this  point  the  Mediterranean  was  finally- 
left  behind,  and  the  ship's  speed  was  shortly  afterwards 
reduced  to  a  rate  of  about  fifteen  knots  throush  the  air; 
her  altitude  being  also  decreased  to  about  one  thousand 
feet  above  the  ground  level. 

The  course  was  now  altered  to  about  s.  by  w.  (true), 
and  the  travellers  passed  slowly  over  the  Fezzan  country, 
the  borders  of  the  Libyan  Desert,  the  Soudan,  and  Dar 
Zaleh;  the  prospect  beneath  and  around  them  varying 
with  every  hour  of  their  progress,  from  the  most  fertile 
and  highly  cultivated  district,  dotted  here  and  there  with 
straggling  villages,  to  the  most  sterile  and  sandy  wastes. 
They  saw  but  little  game  during  this  portion  of  their 
journey,  and  only  descended  to  the  ground  at  night,  when 
the  vessel  was  secured  by  her  four  grip-anchors  during 
the  hours  which  her  crew  devoted  to  rest. 

This  uneventful  state  of  afifairs  continued  until  they 
arrived  in  ten  degrees  of  north  latitude  and  twenty 
degrees  of  east  longitude,  when  they  found  themselves 
fairly  beyond  the  limits  of  even  the  most  rudimentary 
civilization,  and  in  a  country  of  alternating  wooded  hill 
and  grassy,  well- watered  plain,  which  had  all  the  appear- 
ance of  a  very  promising  hunting  district.  The  country 
was  very  thinly  populated,  the  native  villages  being  in 
some  cases  as  much  as  fifty  or  sixty  miles  apart,  whilst 
in  no  instance  were  two  villages  found  within  a  shorter 
distance  than  twenty  miles.  The  inhabitants  were,  as 
far  as  could  be  seen,  fine  stalwart  specimens  of  the  negro 
race,  evidently  skilled  in  the  chase  and,  presumably,  also 
in  all  the  arts  of  savage  warfare;  but  it  was  not  very 
easy  to  form  a  reliable  opinion  upon  their  habits  and 
mode  of  life,  as  whenever  the  Flying  Fish  appeared  upon 


236  A   HALT   IS   CALLED. 

the  scene  they  invariably  took  to  their  heels  with  yells 
of  terror  and  sought  shelter  in  the  thickest  covert  they 
could  find. 

As  the  travellers  penetrated  further  in  toward  the 
heart  of  this  district,  their  anticipations  in  the  matter  of 
game  became  ever  more  abundantly  realized;  vast  herds 
of  antelope  of  various  descriptions,  and  including  more 
than  one  new  species,  being  constantly  visible  from  the 
ship's  deck  w^henever  she  was  raised  a  few  hundred  feet 
in  the  air.  And,  in  addition  to  antelope,  a  few  elephants, 
an  occasional  herd  of  buffalo,  a  troop  or  two  of  wild 
horses,  a  rhinoceros,  a  family  of  lions,  a  skulking  leopard, 
or  a  gorilla,  was  a  by  no  means  unusual  sight;  to  say 
nothing  of  the  countless  troops  of  monkeys  and  other 
unimportant  game  with  which  the  country  seemed  to  be 
literally  swarming. 

Such  a  district  seemed  to  be  the  very  realization  of  a 
sportsman's  or  a  naturalist's  dream  of  paradise;  and  it 
was  quickly  decided  that  a  halt  should  be  called,  and  at 
least  a  few  days  devoted  to  the  pursuit  of  game  and  the 
collection  of  natural  history  specimens.  A  suitable  spot 
in  which  to  bring  the  Flying  Fish  to  earth  was  accord- 
ingly sought  for,  and  found  in  a  small  open  space  of 
about  thirty  acres,  almost  entirely  surrounded  by  bush, 
and  in  close  proximity  to  a  tiny  streamlet  which  emptied 
itself  into  a  small  shallow  lake  about  half  a  mile  distant 
from  the  selected  site. 

Here  they  hunted  with  moderate  success  for  a  week, 
not  killing  any  very  large  amount  of  game — for  they  soon 
discovered  that  they  could  do  very  little  without  horses 
— but  managing,  by  patient  stalking  and  the  secreting  of 
themselves  in  artfully  devised  ambushes,  to  secure  a  few 


WHAT   ARE   THEY?  237 

choice  and  rare  skins  and  horns,  besides  the  tusks  of  eight 
elephants  and  the  plumage  of  over  a  dozen  ostriches. 

On  the  day  of  their  departure  from  this  temporary 
halting-place,  however,  a  piece  of  surprising  and  wholly 
unexpected  good  fortune  befell  them.  It  was  one  of  those 
especially  glorious  mornings  which  are  never  encoun- 
tered anywhere  but  in  the  tropics.  A  very  t^avy  dew 
had  fallen  during  the  night,  revivifying  the  vegetation 
parched  by  the  fervid  heat  of  the  previous  day,  and  caus- 
ing the  foliage  and  flowers  to  glow  for  a  brief  period  in 
their  brightest  and  freshest  tints,  whilst  they  exhaled 
their  choicest  odours;  and  a  light  cool  northerly  breeze 
imparted  a  temporary  freshness  to  the  early  morning  air, 
as  yet  uninfluenced  by  the  scarcely  risen  sun. 

They  had  "  broken  camp,"  and  had  risen  to  a  height  of 
about  one  thousand  feet  above  the  ground  level,  prepara- 
tory to  the  resumption  of  their  southward  journey.  An 
awning  was  spread  over  the  deck,  fore  and  aft,  under  the 
protecting  shade  of  which  they  proposed  to  take  break- 
fast; and  whilst  waiting  for  the  meal  to  be  served,  the 
travellers,  each  seated  in  a  deck  chair,  were  amusing 
themselves  by  inspecting  the  magnificent  prospect  which 
lay  spread  out  around  and  beneath  them,  the  more  dis- 
tant parts  of  which  were  being  diligently  investigated 
with  the  aid  of  their  telescopes. 

They  were  thus  engaged  when  George  announced  that 
breakfast  was  served;  and  the  professor  was  just  on  the 
point  of  laying  down  his  instrument,  preparatory  to  seat- 
ing himself  at  the  table,  when  a  small  group  of  animals, 
which  were  grazing  upon  the  crest  of  a  distant  eminence, 
swept  for  a  moment  across  his  field  of  view.  A  certain 
something  of  peculiarity  and  strangeness  in  the  appear- 


238  THE  professor's  little  peculiarities. 

ance  of  the  creatures  caused  •  the  motion  of  the  telescope 
to  be  arrested  in  mid-sweep,  and  in  another  instant  von 
Schalckenberg,  deaf  to  the  calls  of  his  companions  and 
the  respectful  reminder  of  the  faithful  steward,  had  his 
instrument  focused  full  upon  the  group  of  animals. 
They  were,  however,  a  long  way  off,  and  the  mist  was 
now  rising  so  thickly  from  the  surface  of  the  ground  that 
it  was  impossible  to  clearly  distinguish  them ;  so  the  pro- 
fessor contented  himself  by  going  to  the  pilot-house  and 
directing  the  ship's  head  straight  toward  the  point  occu- 
pied by  the  animals.  After  which  he  carefully  noted  the 
time,  made  a  little  mental  calculation,  and  seated  himself 
at  the  breakfast  table,  with  his  watch  carefully  propped 
up  before  his  plate. 

His  friends  were,  by  this  time,  so  accustomed  to  the 
professor's  little  peculiarities  that  no  one  thought  of  ask- 
ing any  questions,  feeling  sure  that  an  explanation  would 
come  all  in  good  time.  Neither  did  they  make  any  re- 
mark or  evince  any  surprise,  beyond  a  shrug  of  the 
shoulders  and  an  amused  elevation  of  the  eyebrows,  when 
the  savant,  glancing  at  his  watch,  hastily  rose  from  the 
table,  and,  in  his  absent-mindedness  carrying  with  him 
a  fork  with  a  morsel  of  venison-steak  impaled  upon  its 
prongs,  hurried  away  to  the  pilot-house.  A  moment  or 
two  later  a  gentle  jar  was  felt  as  the  ship  came  to  the 
ground;  but  the  mist  was  by  this  time  so  thick  that  it 
was  difficult  to  see  objects  more  than  a  couple  of  hundred 
feet  distant,  and  all  that  could  be  clearly  made  out  was 
that  they  had  stopped  close  to  a  clump  of  bush  of  consid- 
erable extent. 

By  the  time  that  breakfast  was  over,  the  morning  mist, 
true  to  its  proverbially  evanescent  character,  had  com- 


A   REMARKABLE   STATEMENT.  239 

pletely  passed  away,  and  the  travellers  found  that  they 
had  come  to  earth  on  the  crest  of  a  slight  eminence,  from 
which  an  uninterrupted  view,  of  several  miles  extent 
over  the  surrounding  plains,  could  be  obtained  in  every 
direction  save  one,  namely,  that  between  which  and  the 
ship  stretched  the  belt  of  bush. 

And  now  came  the  professor's  explanation: 
"  You  have,  doubtless,  wondered,  gentlemen,"  said  he, 
"why  I  have  thus  early,  and  without  warning,  inter- 
rupted our  journey.  I  will  now  tell  you.  I  have  lately 
been  glancing  through  the  book  which,  you  will  remem- 
ber, I  succeeded  in  recovering  from  the  wreck  of  the 
Daedalus,  and  therein  I  met  with  a  passage  of  a  most 
surpassingly  interesting  character.  This  passage  related 
to  the  rumoured  penetration  into  this  region  of  a  certain 
unnamed  traveller  who  is  stated  to  have  positively 
asserted  that  he  here  saw,  on  more  than  one  occasion, 
an  animal  absolutely  identical  with  the  fabled  unicorn. 
This  remarkable  statement  at  once  reminded  me  that  I 
had,  many  years  ago,  seen  a  paragraph  in  a  Berlin  paper 
to  a  similar  effect.  The  statement  was  accompanied  by 
an  expression  of  strong  doubt,  if  not  of  absolute  incredu- 
lity, as  to  its  veracity;  an  expression  which  impressed 
me  at  the  time  as  being  most  cruel  and  unfair  to  the 
claimant  for  the  honours  of  a  new  discovery  in  natural 
history;  since  the  discovery  was  alleged  to  have  been 
made  in  a  region  which  had  never  before — nor,  indeed, 
has  since,  until  now — been  penetrated  by  civilized  man; 
or  from  which,  at  all  events,  no  civilized  traveller  has 
ever  aofain  emersred,  if  indeed  he  had  been  successful  in 
penetrating  it.  Such  being  the  case,  as  the  course  we 
were  pursuing  would  take  us  through  the  very  heart  of 


240  THE  PROFESSOR  FEELS  SANGUINE. 

this  unknown  and  unvisited  region,  I  resolved  to  main- 
tain a  most  careful  watch  for  these  creatures.  I  have 
done  so,  and  I  am  sanguine  that  I  have  this  morning 
actually  seen  a  troop  of  them.  Unfortunately,  the  mist 
and  the  distance  together  prevented  a  clear  and  distinct 
view  of  the  animals  to  which  I  refer;  but,  whatever  they 
may  be,  I  have  an  idea  that  they  are  at  this  moment 
feeding  at  no  great  distance  on  the  other  side  of  this  belt 
of  bush.  Should  such  be  the  case,  we  have  the  wind  of 
the  animals  and  ought  to  have  no  great  difficulty  in 
stalking  them;  a  proceeding  which,  if  patiently  and  cau- 
tiously executed,  ought  to  enable  us  not  only  to  secure  a 
specimen  or  two,  but  also  to  obtain  a  slight  insight  into 
the  habits  of  the  creature." 

The  trio  addressed  felt,  one  and  all,  slightly  incredu- 
lous as  to  the  realization  of  von  Schalckenberg's  sanguine 
surmises;  but,  remembering  the  mammoths,  they  pru- 
dently kept  their  own  counsel,  and  hastened  away  to 
secure  their  rifles  and  to  make  their  preparations  for  a 
possibly  long  and  tedious  stalk.  They  exchanged  their 
suits  of  dazzling  white  nankeen  for  others  of  a  thin, 
tough  serge  of  a  light  greenish  -  gray  tint,  which  admir- 
ably matched  the  colour  of  the  long  grass  through  which 
the  stalk  would  have  to  be  performed;  and,  in  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  from  the  commencement  of  their  pre- 
parations, found  themselves  standing  outside  the  huge 
hull  of  the  ship,  and  in  its  shadow,  making  their  final  dis- 
positions for  the  chase.  These  arrangements  were  soon 
made.  Sir  Reginald  and  the  professor  were  to  constitute 
one  contingent,  Lethbridge  and  Mildmay  the  other;  these 
last  being  impressively  instructed  by  von  Schalckenberg 
to  take  up  the  most  advantageous  position  possible  for 


A   TROOP   OF  UNICORNS.  241 

intercepting  the  flight  of  the  game,  but  on  no  account  to 
shoot  until  the  others  had  first  opened  fire. 

The  two  parties  then  went  their  several  ways,  reaching, 
at  about  the  same  moment,  the  opposite  extremities  of 
the  bush  belt.  The  utmost  caution  now  became  necessary 
in  order  to  avoid  startling  the  game,  if  indeed  the  pro- 
fessor was  right  in  his  conjectures,  and  the  hunters  sank 
down  upon  their  knees  and  began  a  slow  and  tedious 
progress  through  the  long  grass.  The  professor  was  fairly 
quivering  with  excitement,  and  all  his  companion's  efforts 
were  ineffectual  to  prevent  his  rising  cautiously  to  his 
feet  as  soon  as  they  had  cleared  the  bush  suflaciently  to 
allow  of  his  obtaining  a  view  beyond.  For  a  moment  or 
two  he  glared  anxiously  around  him,  then  dropped  to  his 
knees  again  as  if  shot. 

"They  are  there,"  he  gasped  almost  inarticulately, 
"sixteen  of  them;  not  more  than  half  a  mile  away." 

"  And  what  do  '  they '  actually  prove  to  be  ?"  murmured 
the  baronet.     "Not  unicorns,  of  course?" 

"Yes,  unicorns!  Animals  with  only  one  horn — the 
males,  that  is  to  say.  Some  have  no  horns,  and  those  I 
take  to  be  females." 

This  was  too  much  for  Sir  Reginald's  curiosity.  He, 
in  his  turn,  rose  to  his  feet,  ignoring  the  professor's 
agonized  entreaties  for  caution,  and,  sure  enough,  within 
half  a  mile  of  where  he  stood  was  a  herd  of  animals  so 
closely  resembling  the  unicorn  which  figures  as  one  of 
the  supporters  of  the  royal  arms  of  England  that  he 
could  hardly  credit  his  eyes.  He  counted  the  creatures, 
and  found  that,  as  the  professor  had  stated,  there  were 
sixteen  of  them,  all  apparently  full-grown.  They  very 
closely  approached  the  zebra  in  general  shape,  but  were 

(359;  .  Q 


242  THE   GAME   PROVES   SHY. 

considerably  larger  animals,  standing  about  fourteen 
hands  high.  They  were  of  a  beautiful  deep  cream  colour, 
their  legs  black  below  the  knee,  and  they  had  short  black 
manes,  black  switched  tails  very  similar  to  that  of  the 
gemsbok,  and,  in  the  case  of  four  of  the  animals  then 
in  view,  were  provided  with  a  single  straight  black 
pointed  horn  projecting  from  the  very  centre  of  the  fore- 
head, just  above  the  level  of  the  eyes. 

At  length,  yielding  to  the  professor's  entreaties  and 
remonstrances,  the  baronet  again  sank  to  his  knees  and 
the  stalk  was  resumed. 

Soon,  however,  it  became  apparent  that,  from  some  cause 
or  other,  the  animals  were  growing  restless  and  uneasy. 
They  frequently  ceased  feeding  suddenly  and  gazed  about 
them  with  an  anxious,  inquiring  look,  as  though  sus- 
picious of  but  unable  to  detect  the  approach  of  danger, 
and  instead  of  steadily  cropping  at  the  grass  in  one 
particular  spot  they  would  snatch  a  few  hasty  mouthfuls 
and  then  move  on  some  ten  or  a  dozen  yards.  And,  as  it 
unfortunately  happened,  their  progress  was  directly  away 
from  the  hunters,  so  that  the  latter  soon  found  they  were 
booked  for  a  very  long,  tedious,  and  wearisome  task. 
The  stalkers  were  at  first  disposed  to  regard  the  uneasi- 
ness of  the  game  as  due  to  their  own  presence,  yet,  upon 
further  reflection,  this  seemed  scarcely  possible,  for,  in  the 
first  place,  they  were  all,  even  to  Mildmay  and  the  pro- 
fessor, tolerably  experienced  hunters,  and  were  conducting 
the  stalk  in  the  most  approved  and  sportsmanlike  manner, 
and,  in  the  next  place,  they  were  dead  to  leeward  of  the 
animals,  and  it  was  consequently  impossible  that  the 
creatures  could  have  scented  them.  Both  Sir  Reo^inald 
and  the  colonel  were  thoroughly  puzzled;  and  at  length 


A   STORM   BREWING.  243 

they — almost  simultaneously,  as  it  afterwards  appeared — 
arrived  at  the  same  conclusion,  namely,  that  the  unicorns 
were  being  stalked  by  somebody  or  something  besides 
themselves,  or  else  that  a  storm  was  brewing. 

In  support  of  the  first  idea  there  was  no  evidence 
beyond  the  mere  fact  of  the  animals'  restlessness;  but  the 
aspect  of  the  heavens  soon  became  such  as  to  strongly 
favour  the  second.  Whilst  the  hunters  had  been  sedu- 
lously pursuing  their  task  the  sky  had  gradually  lost  its 
pristine  purity  of  blue  and  had  become  a  pale  colourless 
gray,  in  which  the  sun  seemed  to  hang  like  a  ghastly 
white  radiant  ball,  shorn  of  his  beams.  The  distant 
landscape  first  became  unnaturally  clear  and  distinct  in 
all  its  details  and  then  became  veiled  in  a  sort  of  murky 
haze.  Presently  a  sharply  defined  ridge  of  cloud  made 
its  appearance  above  the  south-western  horizon,  spreading 
rapidly  toward  the  zenith,  and  the  hunters  began  to 
realize  that  they  were  in  for  a  thorough  wetting,  if  for 
nothing  worse.  Mildmay,  indeed,  who  was  perhaps  better 
acquainted  than  anyone  else  in  the  party  with  the  char- 
acter of  the  tropics,  strongly  urged  upon  his  companion, 
Lethbridge,  the  desirability  of  abandoning  the  chase  and 
returning  with  all  speed  to  the  ship;  and  the  latter, 
impressed  by  the  lieutenant's  earnestness,  once  rose  cau- 
tiously to  his  feet  with  the  intention  of  signalling  a 
return  to  the  other  contingent,  but  the  baronet  and  the 
scientist  were  at  that  moment  invisible,  so  the  colonel 
sank  once  more  on  all-fours  and  the  chase  went  on. 

Suddenly  a  sound  like  a  low  growling  roar,  closely 
followed  by  a  shrill  scream,  came  floating  down  to  the 
hunters  upon  the  wings  of  the  almost  stagnant  breeze, 
and,  springing   hastily  to   their  feet,  they  saw  that  a 


244  A   LEOPARD   INTRUDES   UPON   THE   SCENE. 

magnificent  leopard  had  sprung  upon  the  back  of  one  of 
the  hornless  unicorns,  and  was  tearing  savagely  at  its  neck 
and  throat  with  its  teeth  and  claws,  the  rest  of  the  herd, 
with  one  exception,  being  in  full  flight.  The  exception 
was  a  fine  male  unicorn,  which,  with  bristling  mane  and 
half-averted  body,  stood  motionless  save  for  a  quick 
angry  stamping  of  his  fore -feet  upon  the  ground,  watch- 
ing the  unavailing  struggles  of  his  hapless  companion. 
These  were  of  very  short  duration,  a  staggering  gallop 
of  a  few  yards  sufficing  to  exhaust  the  victim's  strength, 
when  she  reeled  and  fell  headlong  to  the  ground  with 
her  savage  rider  still  clinging  tenaciously  to  her  back. 
This,  apparently,  was  the  moment  which  the  male  unicorn 
had  been  waiting  for.  Bounding  forward  at  lightning 
speed  and  with  lowered  head  he  charged  full  upon  the 
prostrate  pair,  and,  as  the  leopard  faced  round  toward  him 
with  an  angry  snarl,  the  long  straight  pointed  horn  was 
levelled  and  in  another  instant  the  great  cat  was  hurled 
ruthlessly  from  the  quivering  body  of  his  victim,  trans- 
fixed through  eye  and  brain  by  the  formidable  weapon 
of  his  vengeful  antagonist.  The  unicorn  stood  for  a 
moment  tossing  his  head,  apparently  half  stunned  with 
the  tremendous  shock;  but  he  quickly  recovered,  and  was 
evidently  preparing  to  renew  his  terrible  onslaught  when 
his  quick  eye  detected  the  presence  of  the  hunters,  who, 
completely  carried  away  by  the  exciting  spectacle  they 
had  just  witnessed,  were  standing  at  their  full  height 
in  the  long  grass,  fully  exposed  from  their  waists  up- 
ward, and  with  the  light  glancing  brightly  from  the 
polished  silver-like  barrels  of  their  rifies.  A  moment's 
pause  was  sufficient  for  the  unicorn;  some  subtle  instinct 
doubtless  taught  him  that  in  the  strange  beings  who  had 


A  PIECE   OF  CARELESSNESS.  245 

thus  unexpectedly  revealed  themselves  he  beheld  enemies 
more  dangerous  than  the  most  deadly  of  his  four-footed 
foes;  and,  wheeling  quickly  about,  he  uttered  a  curious 
barking  kind  of  neio-h  and  dashed  off  at  a  headlong: 
gallop  in  the  direction  already  taken  by  the  rest  of  his 
companions. 

"Good  Heavens,  we  have  lost  them!"  groaned  the  pro- 
fessor in  a  perfect  agony  of  despair. 

"Yes,"  assented  the  baronet,  who  next  turned  to  his 
more  distant  companions  and  hailed  them  with: 

"We  have  had  our  trouble  for  nothing,  after  all.  The 
best  thing  we  can  now  do  is  to  make  our  way  back  to 
the  ship  with  all  speed,  when  we  can  renew  the  pursuit, 
unless,  as  seems  only  too  probable,  we  are  about  to  have 
our  hands  full  with  the  coming  storm.  We  have  not  a 
moment  to  lose,  I  should  say;  so  I  would  suggest  that 
each  of  us  put  his  best  foot  foremost." 

"Ay,  ay,"  replied  Mildmay,  "crowd  sail  we  must;  for, 
unless  I  am  greatly  mistaken,  we  are  about  to  have  a 
regular  tornado." 

"A  tornado!"  gasped  the  professor.  "Run — run  for 
your  lives;  I  verily  believe  I  forgot  to  moor  the  ship!'* 

Forgot  to  moor  the  ship !  Could  such  fatal  carelessness 
be  possible?  If  so,  they  must  indeed  run  for  their  lives; 
for  should  the  storm  burst  before  they  reached  the  ship 
she  would  be  whirled  away  over  the  plain  like  an  empty 
bladder  before  the  blast,  to  what  distance  and  with  what 
results  it  was  difficult  just  then  to  foreshadow;  but  among 
the  possibilities  which  instantly  presented  themselves  to 
the  mind  was  that  of  death  to  the  two  inmates  of  the  ship, 
irreparable  damage  to  the  craft  herself,  and  four  persons 
left  to  shift  for  themselves  in  the  very  centre  of  Africa, 


246  A  RUN   FOR  LIFE. 

with  nothing  but  the  clothes  they  wore,  the  riliesthey 
carried,  and  about  a  dozen  rounds  of  ammunition  apiece. 
The  prospect  was  appalling  enough  to  send  a  momentary 
spasm  of  horror  thrilling  through  the  stoutest  heart  there, 
but  it  also  at  the  same  time  endowed  them  with  a  tempo- 
rary access  of  almost  supernatural  energy;  and  the  four 
men  at  once  started  for  the  ship  at  a  speed  which,  even 
at  the  moment  and  to  themselves,  seemed  incredible. 

The  distance  they  had  to  traverse  was  but  short,  a  mere 
half-mile  or  so  perhaps;  but  to  the  runners  it  seemed,  not- 
withstanding their  speed,  as  though  they  would  never 
reach  their  goal.  The  grass  was  long  and  tangled,  and 
rapid  progress  through  it  was  possible  only  by  a  series 
of  leaps  or  bounds;  any  other  mode  of  progression  would 
simply  have  resulted  in  their  being  tripped  up  at  every 
other  step.  This,  to  men  unaccustomed  to  such  exercise, 
was  in  itself  a  sufficiently  fatiguing  process;  but  in  addi- 
tion to  this  they  had  to  contend  with  the  stifling  heat 
of  the  stagnant  atmosphere,  which  had  been  oppressive 
enough  even  whilst  they  had  been  in  a  condition  of 
comparative  inactivity;  now  it  seemed  to  completely  sap 
their  strength  and  cause  their  limbs  to  hang  heavy  as 
lead  about  them.  Then,  too,  the  air  had  become  so  rare- 
fied that  it  seemed  impossible  to  breathe,  whilst  the  blood 
rushed  to  their  heads,  and  their  hearts  thumped  against 
their  ribs  until  it  seemed  as  though  nature  could  bear 
the  tremendous  exertion  no  more,  and  that  the  runners 
must  drop  dead  upon  the  plain.  Still,  however,  the  men 
sped  on,  the  portentous  aspect  of  the  heavens  serving  as 
an  eflectual  spur  to  their  flagging  energies.  The  dark 
slate-coloured  cloud  had  already  reached  the  zenith,  deep- 
ening in  tint  meanwhile  until  it  had  grown  almost  liter- 


THE   COMMENCEMKNT   OF   THE   STORM.  247 

ally  as  black  as  ink.  Presently  a  few  great  drops  of  hot 
rain  splashed  down  upon  the  panting  runners;  and,  as 
they  rounded  the  end  of  the  bush  clump  and  came  within 
view  of  the  Flying  Fish,  a  blinding  flash  of  lightning 
blazed  out  from  the  sable  canopy  overhead,  accompanied 
by  a  deafening  peal  of  thunder  which  rattled  and  crashed 
and'  boomed  and  rumbled  and  rolled  until  its  echoes 
gradually  died  away  in  the  distance.  A  perfect  deluge 
of  rain  almost  immediately  followed,  wetting  the  runners 
to  the  skin  in  an  instant  as  effectually  as  though  they 
had  been  plunged  into  the  sea.  This  lasted  for  perhaps 
ten  seconds,  during  which  every  object,  even  to  the  racing 
figures  of  their  companions,  was  hidden  from  view  by  the 
dense  volume  of  falling  water.  Then  the  rain  ceased  as 
abruptly  as  it  had  begun,  the  travellers  finding  them- 
selves at  the  same  instant  close  to  the  towering  hull  of 
the  Flying  Fish, 

"Last  man  in,  close  the  trap!"  gasped  the  baronet  as 
he  dashed  up  first  to  the  opening  in  the  ship's  bottom. 
The  others  w^ere  only  a  few  yards  behind  him  and  heard 
his  command;  so  he  wasted  no  more  time  in  conversation, 
but  bounded  up  the  long  spiral  staircase  leading  to  the 
pilot-house,  having  reached  which  he  laid  his  hands  upon 
the  engine  lever  and  tiller,  and  gaspingly  awaited  the 
signal  shout  which  should  tell  him  he  might  move  the 
ship,  gazing  anxiously  out  through  the  windows  mean- 
while on  the  watch  for  some  sign  of  the  bursting  of  the 
hurricane. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait.  Almost  before  he  had  found 
time  to  remove  his  hat  and  wipe  the  perspiration  from 
his  brow  a  shout  came  echoing  up  the  staircase  shaft 
from  the  bottom  of  the  ship,  announcing  the  fact  that 


248  safe! 

the  trap-door  was  securely  closed;  and  Sir  Reginald  in- 
stantly raised  the  ship  from  the  ground,  sending  the 
engines  gently  ahead  at  the  same  moment,  and  putting 
the  helm  hard  over  so  as  to  bring  the  Flying  Fish  stem- 
on  to  the  direction  from  which  he  expected  the  hurricane. 


^^' 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


A   BATTLE   ON    LAKE   TANGANYIKA. 


HE  ship  had  risen  about  one  hundred  feet  from 
the  ground,  and  her  engines  had  just  completed 
a  single  revolution,  when  the  black  pall  of 
murky  cloud  suddenly  burst  apart  on  the  south-western 
horizon,  revealing  a  broad  patch  of  livid  coppery-looking 
sky  behind  it;  and  at  the  same  moment  a  low  moaning 
sound  became  audible  in  the  breathless  air.  A  dull 
smoky  gray  veil  of  vapour  seemed  at  the  same  time  to 
overspread  the  more  distant  features  of  the  landscape 
in  that  quarter,  and  through  it  the  baronet  and  his  three 
companions,  who  had  now  rejoined  him,  saw  the  trees 
and  foliage  of  the  most  remote  clumps  of  bush  bowing 
themselves  almost  to  the  ground  before  some  mighty 
invisible  force.  The  moaning  sound  rapidly  increased  in 
power  and  volume,  the  cloud  of  vapour  rushed  down 
toward  them  with  appalling  speed;  the  long  billowy  grass 
was  flattened  down  to  the  earth,  as  if  under  the  pressure 
of  a  heavy  roller;  the  successive  clumps  of  bush  were 
seen  to  yield  one  after  the  other  to  the  resistless  power 
of  the  hurricane,  and  the  air  in  that  direction  grew  dark 
with  the  leaves  and  branches  which  were  torn  from  the 
trees. 


250  FIGHTING  THE   HURRICANE. 

"  Raise  the  ship  higher.  Lift  her  above  the  power  of 
the  hurricane  altogether  if  you  have  still  time  to  do 
so,"  shouted  the  professor  in  Sir  Reginald's  ear,  as  the 
roar  of  the  approaching  tornado  thundered  in  their  ears 
with  almost  deafening  intensity. 

"No,"  shouted  back  the  baronet;  "I  am  going  to  try 
the  experiment  of  seeing  how^  she  will  bear  the  stroke  of 
the  gale.     Hold  on  tight  all  of  you ! " 

And  as  he  spoke  he  sent  the  engines  ahead  at  full 
speed,  and  drove  the  ship  forw^ard  right  in  the  teeth  of 
the  hurricane. 

The  next  instant,  with  an  appalling  burst  of  sound,  the 
gale  was  upon  them.  Contrary  to  their  expectations, 
there  was  scarcely  any  perceptible  shock,  but  the  ship's 
speed  was  rapidly  checked  much  as  is  the  speed  of  an  ex- 
press train  when  the  brakes  are  suddenly  and  pow^erfully 
applied,  and  in  some  six  seconds,  though  the  engines  were 
still  going  ahead  at  their  utmost  speed,  the  progress  of  the 
Flying  Fish  over  the  ground  was  as  effectually  checked 
as  though  she  had  been  lying  at  anchor. 

Meanwdiile  the  air  was  one  vast  volume  of  awful  sound, 
and  thick  with  the  clouds  of  dust,  and  tufts  of  grass,  and 
leaves,  and  hurtling  branches  which  were  being  w^hirled 
furiously  along  upon  the  wings  of  the  tornado,  so  that 
the  inmates  of  the  pilot-house  could  neither  hear  each 
other  speak  nor  see  any  object  beyond  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
away  on  either  side.  This  lasted  for  perhaps  three  min- 
utes, when  the  wind  suddenly  lulled,  and  the  ship  at  once 
began  to  forge  rapidly  ahead.  The  lull  lasted  perhaps 
half  a  minute,  and  then  ensued  a  repetition  of  all  that 
had  gone  before,  excepting  that  perhaps  the  wind  was  not 
quite  so  strong  as  at  the  first  outburst.     But  it  was  of 


THE   EFFECTS    OF   THE   TORNADO.  251 

longer  duration,  the  second  instalment  of  the  gale  lasting 
fully  half  an  hour,  after  which  the  wind  gradually 
dropped  to  a  gentle  breeze,  the  sky  cleared,  the  sun 
reappeared  in  all  his  wonted  splendour,  and  the  air 
resumed  its  usual  transparency. 

But  what  a  sight  was  now  presented  to  the  view  of  the 
travellers;  what  a  scene  of  devastation  was  that  which 
lay  outspread  around  them !  The  long  grass  was  pressed 
so  flat  to  the  ground  that  it  would  scarcely  have  afforded 
cover  to  the  smallest  animal;  stately  trees  were  tying 
prostrate,  either  uprooted  altogether,  or  their  massive 
trunks  snapped  short  off,  whilst  others  still  retained  their 
upright  position  indeed,  but  stood  denuded  of  every 
branch.  Other  trees  again,  whilst  less  mutilated  as  to 
their  branches,  retained  only  a  few  straggling  leaves  here 
and  there,  and  the  same  thing  applied  to  those  dense 
patches  of  creeper-like  tangled  growth  known  as  "  bush," 
the  upper  portions  of  which  presented  merely  a  bristling 
array  of  leafless  twigs.  And  in  some  spots  could  be  seen 
huge  clumps  of  "  bush  "  which  had  been  torn  bodily  out 
of  the  ground  and  swept  remorselessly  along  for  perhaps 
miles  of  distance. 

But  the  strangest  sight  of  all  was  presented  by  the 
animals.  From  a  height  of  one  thousand  feet,  to  which 
the  Flying  Fish  had  by  this  time  risen,  a  very  wide 
extent  of  the  plateau  below  could  be  surveyed,  and  on 
this  in  every  direction  could  be  seen  the  wild  creatures  of 
the  forest,  the  jungle,  and  the  plain,  many  of  them  suflfer- 
ing  from  injuries  more  or  less  severe,  received  during  the 
progress  of  the  tornado,  and  all  of  them  exhibiting  unmis- 
takable and  in  some  instances  surprising  evidences  of 
demoralization  and  terror.   Deer  and  antelopes  of  various 


252  TERROR   OF   THE   WILD   ANIMALS. 

species  lay  crouched  upon  the  ground  palpably  quivering 
with  fear,  or  limped  painfully  about  on  three  legs,  the 
fourth  being  doubtless  injured  through  the  creature  hav- 
ing been  hurled  violently  to  the  ground,  or  struck  by 
some  falling  branch.  The  lion  and  his  mate  could  be 
seen  here  and  there  wandering  harmlessly  and  aimlessly 
to  and  fro  in  the  midst  of  hundreds  of  creatures  which  on 
ordinary  occasions  would  afford  them  a  welcome  prey,  but 
which  were  now  too  completely  overcome  with  terror  to 
notice  their  presence.  In  one  place  a  fine  elephant  lay  pros- 
trate, his  massive  spine  apparently  broken  by  the  fall  of 
an  enormous  tree,  the  trunk  of  which  had  pinned  him  to 
the  ground ;  and  in  another,  an  immense  assemblage  of 
animals  of  the  most  mixed  and  antagonistic  species  were 
seen  huddled  promiscuously  together  under  the  lee  of  an 
immense  belt  of  bush,  where  they  seemed  to  have  found 
a  shelter  from  which  they  were  evidently  still  afraid  to 
venture. 

At  length,  having  seen  enough  to  afford  them  a  toler- 
ably clear  idea  of  the  destruction  wrought  by  the  storm, 
the  professor  suggested  the  retracing  of  their  steps  with 
the  object  of  again  finding,  if  possible,  the  troop  of  uni- 
corns. The  ship  w^as  accordingly  put  about,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  spot  was  reached  on  which  still  lay  the 
carcasses  of  the  leopard  and  the  female  unicorn.  Here  she 
was  again  brought  temporarily  to  the  ground  in  order 
that  the  party  might  secure  the  two  skins,  which  was 
done;  but  the  hide  of  the  unicorn  was  so  dreadfully 
lacerated  by  the  claws  of  the  leopard  that  the  professor 
was  plunged  into  the  lowest  depths  of  chagrin  and  de- 
spondency. The  pursuit  of  the  lost  animals  was  now  once 
more  taken  up;  the  ship  rising  to  a  height  of  five  thou- 


THE  PROFESSORS   SUGGESTION.  253 

sand  feet  into  the  air  and  then  going  ahead  dead  slow  in 
the  direction  taken  by  the  unicorns,  the  four  gentlemen, 
armed  with  their  most  powerful  telescopes,  posting  them- 
selves in  advantageous  positions  on  deck  and  minutely 
examining  every  yard  of  the  ground  over  which  they 
passed.  This  method  of  proceeding  was  continued  until 
nightfall  without  result;  and  it  then  became  evident  that 
the  animals  of  which  they  were  in  pursuit  had  somehow 
eluded  them. 

"  Well,"  said  the  professor,  endeavouring  to  put  a  good 
face  upon  his  disappointment,  as,  the  ship  having  been 
carefully  brought  to  earth  and  securely  moored  for  the 
night,  the  party  left  the  pilot-house  and  went  below  to 
take  their  evening  bath  previous  to  dinner,  "it  is  dis- 
appointing, but  it  cannot  be  helped.  Perhaps  we  shall  be 
fortunate  enough  to  encounter  them  or  others  to-morrow 
as  we  wend  our  way  southward.  And,  a  propos  of  our 
next  destination,  I  have  a  suggestion  which  I  should  like 
to  make,  and  which  I  will  lay  before  you  when  we  meet 
at  the  dinner- table." 

Accordingly,  when  they  had  fairly  settled  down  to  the 
meal  that  evening.  Sir  Reginald  called  upon  the  scientist 
for  his  suggestion  or  proposal. 

"  I  must  preface  it,"  said  von  Schalckenberg,  "  by  in- 
forming you  that  I  have  again  been  diving  into  my 
lamented  friend's  note-book,  which  I  may  say  en  passant 
is  the  most  remarkable  volume  I  have  ever  come  across. 
And  in  it  I  find,  under  the  heading  of  '  Africa,'  a  most 
clever  and  scholarly  disquisition  on  'the  site  of  ancient 
Ophir,'  the  place  from  which  it  is  recorded  that  David 
obtained  gold  for  the  building  of  Solomon's  temple.  I 
need  not  inflict  upon  you  the  various  arguments  and 


254  TO   ANCIENT   OPHIR. 

authorities  which  are  cited  in  the  endeavour  to  identity 
the  position  of  this  most  interesting  spot;  suffice  it  to  say, 
that  I  am  morally  convinced  I  can  lay  my  finger  upon  it 
on  the  map.  The  principal,  indeed  I  may  say  the  only 
reasons  why  the  region  has  never  yet  been  explored  are, 
first,  its  extreme  difficulty  of  access  except  by  sea;  and 
secondly,  the  fact  that  all  recorded  attempts  to  penetrate 
it  have  been  thwarted  by  the  inhabitants,  who  are  a  most 
jealous,  warlike,  and  savage  race  of  people.  We,  however, 
are  fortunately  possessed  of  exceptional,  or  I  should  rather 
say  unique,  means  of  approach  to  this  unknown  country; 
and  my  suggestion  is  that  we  should  — " 

"  Do  it,"  interrupted  the  baronet.  "  Most  certainly  we 
^vill,  my  dear  sir,  and  I  am  exceedingly  obliged  to  you 
for  the  proposal.  The  adventure  will  doubtless  possess  a 
piquant  flavouring  of  danger  about  it,  but  I  presume  that 
will  scarcely  be  regarded  by  any  of  us  as  a  drawback?" 
glancing  across  the  table  to  the  colonel  and  Mild  may. 

"  Scarcely,"  echoed  Lethbridge  lazily,  as  he  held  his 
glass  of  wine  up  critically  to  the  light. 

"Did  you  say  'danger?'"  laughed  Mildmay.  "This 
craft  of  yours  is  so  confoundedly  safe.  Sir  Reginald,  that 
upon  my  word  I  have  almost  forgotten  what  danger  is; 
so  if  you  really  think  you  can  find  a  place  where  we 
may  once  more  come  within  hail  of  it,  pray  take  us  there 
without  loss  of  time.  For  my  part,  I  am  becoming 
positively  effeminate,  and  unless  I  can  speedily  have  a 
chance  of  getting  my  head  broken  I  shall  be  utterly 
ruined  for  '  the  service '  when  I  go  back  to  it." 

"  So  be  it,"  said  the  baronet.  "  Ancient  Ophir  is  our 
next  destination;  and  we  will  start  to-morrow  morning. 
You,  professor,   I    know  will   not   shrink    from   danger 


LAKE  TANGANYIKA.  255 

when  the  solving  of  so  interesting  a  question  is  con- 
cerned." 

"Ah,  ah!  try  me/'  laughed  the  professor  joyously — 
"  try  me,  my  friend,  and  you  shall  see." 

Accordingly,  on  the  following  morning  after  breakfast 
a  general  adjournment  was  made  to  the  pilot-house, 
where,  with  map  and  chart  spread  out  before  them, 
and  the  professor's  treasured  volume  beside  them  for 
reference,  the  probable  site  of  ancient  Ophir  was  at 
length  definitely  located;  when  the  course  and  distance 
were  ascertained,  and  a  start  made. 

Being  anxious  to  see  as  much  as  possible  of  the  coun- 
try during  their  passage  over  it,  a  low  rate  of  speed — 
averaging  about  twenty  miles  per  hour — was  maintained; 
the  day's  journey  beginning  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  terminating  at  the  same  hour  in  the  evening,  when  a 
halt  was  called  and  the  ship  brought  to  earth  for  the  night. 

On  the  fourth  day  of  this  part  of  their  journey,  shortly 
after  effecting  their  morning's  start,  they  came  within 
sight  of  an  immense  lake;  and  a  slight  deviation  from 
their  prescribed  course  was  made  in  order  that  a  thorough 
examination  of  it  might  be  effected.  A  long  range  of 
hills,  which  had  been  sighted  on  the  previous  day,  lay  on 
their  left  hand;  and,  on  clearing  the  southern  spurs  of 
these,  they  found  that  another  large  body  of  water  lay 
beyond  or  to  the  eastward  of  them;  a  river  connecting 
the  two  lakes,  afterwards  identified  by  them  as  lakes 
Albert  Nyanza  and  Tanganyika.  Rising  in  the  air  to  a 
height  of  about  ten  thousand  feet,  they  slowly  traversed 
the  latter  from  its  northern  extremity,  reaching  its 
widest  part — which  they  estimated  to  be  about  sixty 
miles  across — at  mid-day. 


256  A   FLEET   OF  WAR  CANOES   IN   SIGHT. 

And  here  a  most  exciting  scene  presented  itself.  An 
hour  previously  a  dark  mass  had  been  sighted  near  the 
western  shore  of  the  lake,  which  mass  had  at  first  been 
taken  for  an  island;  but,  on  a  nearer  approach,  the  sup- 
posed island  had  resolved  itself  into  an  immense  fleet  of 
canoes,  in  number  about  three  hundred,  manned  by  from 
four  to  twenty  men  in  each,  rapidly  making  its  way 
toward  the  western  shore.  So  large  a  concourse  of  craft, 
coupled  with  the  fact  that  the  crews  were  elaborately 
*'  got  up  "  with  paint,  feathers,  and  skins,  and  were  well 
provided  with  bows  and  arrows,  spears,  shields,  and 
clubs — to  say  nothing  of  a  few  very  antiquated-looking 
muskets  which  the  travellers'  glasses  revealed  here  and 
there — seemed  to  point  to  the  conclusion  that  a  hostile 
expedition  was  afoot,  or,  rather,  afloat ;  and  the  explorers 
resolved  upon  a  temporary  pause  in  order  to  watch  the 
course  of  events. 

The  natives  were  so  intent  upon  their  paddling  that — 
facing  forward  as  they  all  were,  with  the  Flying  Fish 
somewhat  in  their  rear  and  nearly  a  mile  above  them — not 
one  of  them  seemed  to  have  detected  the  near  vicinity  of 
the  aerial  ship;  and  the  fleet  diligently  pursued  its  course 
landward,  the  short  broad-bladed  paddles  moving  to  the 
time  of  a  deep,  sonorous,  but  somewhat  monotonous  song, 
which,  issuing  as  it  did  from  the  throats  of  probably 
quite  two  thousand  warriors,  was  distinctly  audible  on 
board  the  Flying  Fish,  and  really  had  quite  an  impres- 
sive effect. 

The  flotilla  had  reached  within  about  four  miles  of  the 
shore,  and  of  a  tolerably  extensive  native  settlement 
built  thereon  on  both  sides  of  a  river  which  at  that  point 
emptied  itself  into  the  lake,  when  a  sudden  confused 


MUSTERING   TO   REPEL  AN    INVASION.  267 

beating  of  drums  and  blowing  of  horns  seemed  to  indicate 
that  the  menaced  tribe  had  at  last  become  awakened  to 
the  unpleasant  fact  that  an  invasion  of  their  territory  was 
imminent.  The  summons  was  responded  to  with  very 
commendable  celerity,  the  men  swarming  out  of  the 
settlement  like  ants  out  of  an  ant-heap;  and  in  less  than 
ten  minutes  nearly  a  hundred  canoes  were  launched  and 
manned,  and  advancing  boldly  to  meet  the  enemy,  whilst 
the  laggards  pushed  off  by  twos  and  threes  as  soon  after- 
wards as  they  could  get  down  to  the  beach,  all  making 
the  most  strenuous  efforts  to  join  the  main  body. 

To  the  observers  on  board  the  Flying  Fish  it  seemed 
that  the  attacked  party  had  made  a  grave  mistake  in 
thus  taking;  to  their  canoes  and  advancino^  in  them  to 
meet  the  enemy;  the  colonel's  impression  being  that  they 
would  have  done  better  if  they  had  awaited  their  foes 
on  the  beach  and  harassed  them  during  their  attempt  to 
effect  a  landing.  But  it  soon  became  evident  that  the 
threatened  tribe  knew  perfectly  well  what  they  were 
about,  their  canoes  being  larger  and  steadier  than  those 
of  their  opponents,  and  their  method  of  handling  them 
greatly  superior. 

The  opposing  forces  encountered  each  other  at  a  dis- 
tance of  about  two  miles  from  the  western  shore  of  the 
lake,  when  a  simultaneous  discharge  of  arrows  was 
poured  in  by  both  sides,  after  which  the  two  fleets  closed, 
and  a  most  determined  and  sanguinary  battle  commenced. 
The  invaders  outnumbered  their  opponents  nearly  in  the 
proportion  of  two  to  one;  yet  the  latter  not  only  gal- 
lantly held  their  own,  but  actually  appeared  now  and  then 
to  gain  some  slight  temporary  advantage.  Spears  were 
thrown  and  arrows  were  shot  by  hundreds;  the  heavily- 

(359)  R 


258         A  STUBBORN  AND  BLOODY  BATTLE. 

knobbed  war-clubs  were  wielded  with  untiring  activity 
and  terrible  effect;  and,  occasionally,  a  flash  and  a  faint 
pufF  of  smoke  followed  by  a  report  told  that  one  of  the 
ancient  muskets  had  been  brought  into  play.  The 
shouting  of  commands,  the  cries  of  anguish  or  defiance, 
the  shrieks  of  the  wounded,  and  the  yells  of  triumph 
united  in  the  creation  of  a  most  deafening  din;  and  that 
it  was  not  noise  only,  but  work  as  well,  was  speedily 
manifested  by  the  numerous  bodies,  splashing  and  strug- 
gling in  the  agonies  of  death,  or  floating  quiescent  on  the 
surface  of  the  lake. 

"How  stubbornly  the  rascals  fight!"  remarked  Leth- 
bridge  at  last,  when  the  battle  had  been  hotly  raging  for 
fully  three-quarters  of  an  hour  without  yielding  to  either 
side  any  decided  advantage.  "  I  wonder  what  the  quarrel 
is  all  about?" 

"It  is  difficult  to  say,"  answered  the  professor,  who 
seemed  to  consider  the  question  as  addressed  to  himself ; 
"  it  may  be  a  simple  case  of  tribal  animosity ;  it  may  be 
an  attack  of  retaliation;  or  it  may  be  a  slave-hunting 
expedition.  It  is  pretty  sure  to  be  one  or  the  other  of 
those  three,  but  it  is  impossible  to  say  which." 

"  Well,"  remarked  Mildmay,  "  whatever  the  cause  of  the 
fight,  my  sympathies  are  all  with  the  weaker  side.  Can- 
not we  help  the  poor  wretches  a  little?  A  shot  or  two 
from  our  rifles — " 

"  Would  ensure  to  either  party  a  victory,"  interrupted 
the  baronet.  "  Yes ;  that  is  quite  true.  But  how  can  we 
tell  which  party — if  either — is  fighting  in  the  cause  of 
right  and  justice?  We  cannot  take  the  part  of  either 
the  aggressors  or  the  defenders  without  a  certain  lurking 
doubt  that  in  so  doing  we  may  perhaps  be  unwittingly 


TOTAL   ROUT   OF   THE   INVADER.  259 

giving  aid  and  encouragement  to  the  evil-doer.  My 
sympathies  are,  like  yours,  on  the  side  of  the  defenders; 
but  I  am  afraid  we  must  let  them  fight  it  out  unaided." 

And  fight  it  out  they  did  in  the  most  gallant  manner, 
the  invaded  baffling  all  attempts  on  the  part  of  the  in- 
vaders to  get  even  a  small  portion  of  their  force  between 
them  and  the  shore;  and  finally,  by  what  looked  like  a 
last  supreme  and  desperate  effort,  putting  the  foe  to  flight, 
and  pursuing  him  triumphantly  and  persistently  in  his 
retreat,  harassing  his  rear,  cutting  off  and  capturing 
stragglers,  and  in  every  possible  way  worrying  and 
annoying  him  so  thoroughly  that,  to  those  on  board  the 
Flying  Fish,  it  looked  unlikely  in  the  extreme  that  the 
attack,  whether  provoked  or  not,  would  ever  be  repeated. 

The  combatants  had  evidently  been  far  too  busy  to 
notice  the  extraordinary  apparition  floating  in  the  sky 
above  them;  but  just  as  the  battle  was  about  to  commence 
a  crowd  of  women  and  children,  with  a  few  decrepit  old 
men,  had  assembled  on  the  beach,  seemingly  to  watch  the 
conflict;  and  on  bringing  the  telescopes  to  bear  on  these 
it  soon  became  apparent,  by  their  gestures  and  cries  of 
amazement,  that  they  had  seen  the  ship. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  professor,  peering  through  his  telescope, 
"they  see  us  undoubtedly,  but  they  can  detect  neither 
form  nor  details.  The  sun  is  immediately  behind  them, 
you  will  observe;  consequently,  as  it  is  shining  full  upon 
our  burnished  hull,  those  people,  in  the  position  they  now 
occupy,  will  be  able  to  see  nothing  but  a  shapeless  blaze 
of  dazzling  eflfulgence,  which  they  will  doubtless  take  as 
an  outward  manifestation  of  their  particular  deity's 
favour,  and  an  indication  that  he  is  present  to  crown 
their  cause  with  victory." 


260  AN   ARID   DESERT. 

And  indeed  there  was  plenty  of  evidence  to  support 
this  singular  opinion,  for  the  people,  though  evidently 
astonished  beyond  measure,  manifested  delight  rather 
than  fear  at  what  they  saw,  stretching  out  their  hands, 
palms  upward,  by  way  of  greeting  and  salute,  whilst 
many  were  seen  to  hurry  away  to  the  village  and  back, 
bringing  with  them  oiFerings  of  fruit,  goats,  and  fowls, 
which  they  ranged  in  a  line  ("in  order  to  make  the  most 
of  them,"  as  Mildmay  suggested)  along  the  margin  of  the 
lake.  The  proffered  offering  was,  however,  unaccepted, 
and,  the  battle  being  over,  the  Flying  Fish  resumed  her 
course  along  the  centre  line  of  the  lake,  reaching  its 
southern  extremity  in  time  to  select  a  halting-place 
before  sunset. 

The  fourth  day  following  found  them  within  easy 
distance  of  their  destination;  and  the  disappointment  of 
the  travellers,  arising  from  the  fact  that  no  more  uni- 
corns had  been  seen,  was  to  a  very  great  extent  swal- 
lowed up  in  curiosity  as  to  what  lay  before  them.  Shortly 
after  effecting  their  morning's  start  the  fertile  region  over 
which  they  had  hitherto  been  travelling  came  abruptly 
to  an  end,  and  they  found  themselves  passing  over  an 
arid  sandy  desert,  utterly  destitute  of  even  the  feeblest 
suggestion  of  vegetation,  without  a  trace  of  water  or 
even  of  moisture,  and  of  course  with  no  sign  of  a 
living  creature  anywhere  upon  it.  So  uninteresting  a 
region  offered  no  temptation  for  loitering  or  dalliance, 
and  the  speed  of  the  ship  was  accordingly  increased  to 
about  sixty  miles  an  hour  over  the  ground,  the  pace  being 
maintained  until  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  a 
low  range  of  rocky  precipitous  hills  was  reached,  beyond 
which  fertility  and  life  once  more  resumed  their  sway. 


THE  "FLYING  FISH "  CREATES  A  SENSATION.     261 

The  travellers  computed  the  stretch  of  desert  over  which 
they  had  passed  as  being  fully  three  hundred  miles  in 
extent,  and  they  could  therefore  fully  understand  the 
difficulty — not  to  say  impossibility — of  approaching 
Ophir,  at  all  events  from  a  north-westerly  direction. 
Speed  was  now  once  more  reduced,  the  ship  gently  glid- 
ing through  the  hot  afternoon  air  at  the  rate  of  about 
eighteen  knots,  over  a  somewhat  rugged,  well-wooded 
country,  watered  by  numerous  streams,  with  native 
villages  dotted  here  and  there  along  the  banks,  in  the 
midst  of  well- cultivated  maize  and  tobacco  fields,  with  an 
occasional  patch  of  sugar-cane.  Large  herds  of  cattle 
were  also  frequently  passed,  and  it  soon  became  evident 
that  to  the  natives  in  charge  of  these,  and  indeed  to  the 
inhabitants  generally,  the  apparition  of  the  aerial  ship 
was  productive  of  a  vast  amount  of  curiosity,  excitement, 
and  wonder.  These  natives  appeared  to  possess  the  same 
power  or  gift  attributed  to  the  Montenegrins,  namely, 
that  of  projecting  the  voice  for  incredible  distances 
through  the  air;  and  it  was  speedily  apparent  that  the 
arrival  of  the  monster  aerial  visitant  to  the  country  was 
being  orally  telegraphed  forward  in  the  direction  of  her 
course.  Mounted  men  were  seen  dashing  madly  along 
until  they  reached  some  eminence  favourably  situated  for 
the  exercise  of  their  powers,  when,  dismounting,  the  mes- 
senger would  raise  his  hands  to  his  lips,  and,  in  a  peculiar 
high-pitched  tone  of  voice  which  seemed  to  have  the 
power  of  penetrating  the  air  for  an  immense  distance, 
send  his  messaofe  echoing  forward  over  hill  and  dale,  to 
be  instantly  caught  up  and  repeated  by  another.  So 
smartly  was  this  novel  system  of  telegraphy  performed, 
that   the   message  actually  outsped   the   ship,  and   the 


262  A  BRUSH   WITH  THE   NATIVE  CAVALRY. 

travellers  found  the  inhabitants  of  every  village  along 
their  route  awaiting  en  r)iasse  their  appearance,  which  was 
instantly  greeted  with  loud  shouts -of  astonishment.  At 
one  village  or  settlement,  which,  from  its  size,  appeared 
to  be  of  more  than  ordinary  importance,  they  found,  in 
addition  to  the  general  inhabitants,  a  squadron  of  about 
fifty  mounted  warriors  awaiting  them,  fully  armed  with 
bow,  spear,  and  shield,  and  upon  the  appearance  of  the 
Flying  Fish  these  troops  most  pluckily  ranged  themselves 
directly  across  her  course  and  prepared  to  treat  her  to 
a  shower  of  arrows. 

"Now  is  our  time  to  create  a  wholesome  impression 
of  our  invincibility  upon  these  fellows,"  remarked  the 
baronet,  and  hurrying  to  the  pilot-house  he  caused  the 
ship  to  sink  well  within  range  of  the  projected  salute. 

In  an  instant  every  bow  was  drawn  to  its  utmost 
tension,  a  second  or  two  sufficed  the  warriors  to  steady 
their  aim,  and  then,  with  a  simultaneous  twang  of  bow- 
strings, the  fifty  arrows  sped  through  the  air,  and,  rattling 
harmlessly  against  the  ship's  gleaming  hull,  glanced  off 
and  fell  to  the  earth  again.  The  baronet  smartly  raised 
the  fore  end  of  the  tiller,  and,  obedient  to  her  helm,  the 
Flying  Fish  made  a  sudden  swoop  earthward  in  the 
direction  of  the  audacious  cavalry,  who,  already  discon- 
certed at  the  utter  failure  of  their  attack,  at  once  wheeled 
short  about,  and,  with  piercing  yells  of  terror,  took  head- 
long flight,  jostling  and  overthrowing  each  other  with- 
out the  least  compunction  in  their  frantic  eagerness  to 
escape. 

"  There,"  remarked  the  baronet,  as,  steadying  the  helm, 
the  ship  once  more  soared  to  her  former  elevation,  ''  I 
hope  that  will  suffice  to  convince  them  that  we  are  not  to 


THE   RUINS   OF   AN   IMPOSING   CITY.  263 

be  attacked  with  impunity.  If  not,  we  shall  be  compelled 
to  read  them  a  sharper  lesson." 

After  that  no  further  attempt  at  molestation  was 
ventured  upon,  the  inhabitants  simply  congregating  in 
close  proximity  to  the  doors  of  their  huts  to  see  the  ship 
go  past,  watching  her  stately  progress  in  silent,  awe- 
struck wonder,  and  obviously  holding  themselves  ready 
for  an  instant  dive  beneath  the  fancied  shelter  of  their 
thatched  roofs  in  the  event  of  any  hostile  demonstration 
on  the  part  of  the  Mysterious  Visitant. 

At  about  half-past  five  in  the  evening  the  hilly  char- 
acter of  the  country  gave  place  to  that  of  a  wide-stretch- 
ing level  plain,  thickly  overgrown  with  long  rank  grass, 
with  occasional  isolated  clumps  of  bush,  and  here  and 
there  a  tall  feathery  palm,  or  a  grove  of  wild  plantains  or 
bamboo.  The  faint  gray  glimmer  of  the  sea  appeared  on 
the  utmost  verge  of  the  distant  horizon,  and  certain  huge 
shapeless  irregularities  in  the  extreme  distance  gradually 
revealed  themselves  as  the  colossal  remains  of  what  must 
at  one  time  have  been  a  city  of  extraordinary  extent  and 
magnificence.  The  ship  was  brought  to  earth  and  secured 
exactly  at  six  o'clock,  at  a  distance  of  some  eight  or  nine 
miles  from  the  sea,  and  the  travellers  then  found  them- 
selves surrounded  on  all  sides  by  gigantic  ruined  walls, 
arches,  columns,  erect  and  overturned,  huge  fragments  of 
pediments,  shattered  entablatures,  ruined  capita,ls,  splin- 
tered pedestals,  and  crumbling  mutilated  statues  of  men 
and  animals,  all  of  colossal  proportions,  the  buildings 
being  of  a  massive  but  ornate  and  imposing  style  of 
architecture,  quite  unknown  to  civilization.  The  ship 
had  found  a  resting-place  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the 
centre  of  the  ruins,  which  extended  all  round  her  for  a 


264  ANCIENT  OPHIR. 

distance  of  nearly  three  miles,  the  eastern  half  being  all 
aglow  with  the  golden  radiance  of  the  sunset,  whilst  the 
western  half  loomed  up  black,  imposing,  and  solemnly 
mysterious  against  the  clear  orange  of  the  evening  sky. 

"Well,"  said  the  professor,  as  the  party  slowly  paced 
the  deck,  watching  in  almost  silent  rapture  the  swiftly 
changing  glories  of  the  dying  day,  the  rapid  but  exquisite 
gradations  of  tint  on  the  mouldering  ruins  which  accom- 
panied the  fading  light,  and  the  almost  instantaneous 
appearance  of  the  stars  in  the  darkening  heavens — "  well, 
I  am  equally  surprised  and  delighted  at  the  result  of  our 
resolve  to  come  hither.  Here  we  find  ourselves  in  the 
very  heart  of  savagedom  surrounded  by  the  vast  remains 
of  a  remote  but  civilized  and  evidently  highly  cultivated 
race;  and  though  at  present  we  have  nothing  more  than 
the  merest  surmise  to  help  us  to  their  identification,  I 
have  little  doubt  that  the  result  of  our  explorations  and 
investigations  will  be  to  satisfy  us  that  we  have  in  very 
deed  found  in  these  ponderous  ruins  the  remains  of  An- 
cient Ophir." 


■^ 


^- 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

A  NATIVE   chieftain's   VISIT   TO   CLOUDLAND. 


HE  travellers,  safely  shut  up  in  that  impregnable 
fortress,  the  hull  of  the  Flying  Fish,  passed  the 
night  in  peaceful  slumber,  undisturbed,  in  the 
confidence  begotten  of  a  sense  of  perfect  security,  by  the 
weird  cries  of  the  night  birds,  the  incessant  howling  of 
the  jackals,  the  maniacal  laugh  of  the  prowling  hyena, 
the  occasional  roar  of  the  lion,  the  loud  whirr  of  myriads 
of  insects,  the  croaking  of  bull-frogs,  and  the  other  mul- 
titudinous nocturnal  sounds  which  floated  in  through  the 
open  windows  of  their  state-rooms.  They  were  early 
ast^r  in  the  morning,  eager  to  commence  their  investiga- 
tions as  are  school-boys  to  plunge  into  the  enjoyments  of 
a  long-anticipated  holiday.  Moved  by  a  common  im- 
pulse, they  all  went  out  on  deck  to  witness  the  ruins 
under  the  effect  of  sunrise  previous  to  their  plunge  into 
the  matutinal  bath;  and  it  was  whilst  they  were  admiring 
the  exquisite  beauty  of  the  scene  that  the  keen-eyed 
colonel  became  conscious  of  the  fact  that  they  were  be- 
leaguered by  a  host  of  lurking  savages. 

"Umph!"  he  commented,  "I  expected  as  much." 
"  You  expected  as  much  as  what  ?     What  is  it,  Leth- 
bridfi^e?"  asked  Sir  Reoinald. 


266  beleaguered! 

"Look  there,"  was  the  reply;  "and  there,  and  there, 
and  there.  Do  you  notice  anything  peculiar  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  undergrowth  about  us,  especially  where 
it  is  thickest?" 

"  N — o,  I  can't  say  that  I  do— unless  you  refer  to  those 
occasional  quick  gleams  which  come  and  go  here  and 
there.  What  are  they  ?  At  first  I  thought  it  was  the 
flash  of  the  sun  on  the  dew-laden  grass  and  leaves  as 
they  wave  in  the  wind,  but  it  can  hardly  be  that,  or  we 
should  see  more  of  it." 

"No,"  said  the  colonel,  "it  is  not  that;  it  is  the  occa- 
sional glint  of  the  sun  on  a  native  spear-head.  I  have 
been  through  the  Kaffir  war,  and  have  seen  the  same 
thing  before,  though  not  so  distinctly  as  now,  our  pre- 
sent towering  height  above  the  ground  giving  us  an  ad- 
vantage in  that  respect  which  we  sadly  lacked  before. 
We  are  beset  by  the  natives.  You  cannot  see  one,  I  know, 
but  they  are  all  about  us,  all  the  same.  Ah!  look  there, 
just  behind  that  magnolia  bush.  Do  you  see  a  small  dark 
object  rising  slowly  into  view?  That  is  the  head  of  a 
savage,  and  he  is — ah !  now  he  has  ducked  again,  having 
caught  sight  of  us." 

"And  what  do  you  suppose  the  fellows  want?"  asked 
the  baronet.     "  They  cannot  attack  us,  you  know." 

"No;  but  they  don't  know  it.  Their  object  is  to  steal 
up  as  close  as  possible  to  us  in  order,  in  the  first  place, 
to  satisfy  their  curiosity,  and,  in  the  second  place,  to 
make  a  sudden  swoop  if  they  see  any  fancied  chance  of 
being  successful." 

''Well,"  said  Sir  Reginald.  "I  should  like  to  see 
the  savage  who  can  reach  us  so  long  as  we  stick  to  the 
Flying  Fish.     But  we  don't  want  to  stick  to  her,  so  we 


A   CAUTIOUS   APPROACH.  267 

will  leave  them  undisturbed  to  satisfy  their  curiosity  to 
its  fullest  extent  until  after  breakfast,  when  we  must 
adopt  measures  either  to  conciliate  them  or  to  terrorize 
them  into  leaving  us  alone.  Come,  gentlemen,  we  shall 
be  late  for  breakfast.  What  a  superb  mass  of  ruins  it 
is! — beats  the  Acropolis;  don't  you  think  so?" 

If  the  thousand  or  more  savages,  who  had  spent  nearly 
half  the  night  in  accomplishing  the  engirdlement  of  the 
Flying  Fish,  could  have  heard  and  understood  the  airy 
way  in  which  the  fact  of  their  close  proximity  was  dis- 
missed by  the  baronet  as  a  matter  of  the  most  trivial 
importance,  they  would  have  been  intensely  disgusted. 
Happily  for  their  dignity  they  were  blissfully  uncon- 
scious of  it;  and  whilst  Sir  Reginald  and  his  companions 
were  luxuriating  in  the  bath,  and  afterwards  dallying 
with  a  light  but  dainty  breakfast,  the  sable  warriors 
continued  to  close  cautiously  in  upon  the  huge  white 
gleaming  object  which  had  come  into  their  midst  in  so 
unexpected  and  extraordinary  a  manner.  Slowly,  cau- 
tiously, with  untiring  patience,  and  practising  every 
known  art  of  savage  warfare,  the  band  drew  closer  and 
closer,  until  they  found  themselves  within  about  a  hun- 
dred feet  of  the  hull,  and  almost  overshadowed  by  her 
enormous  bulk,  when  considerations  of  personal  safety 
prevailed  over  the  ardour  of  the  warrior  burning  to  dis- 
tinguish himself,  and  further  advance  was,  as  by  unani- 
mous consent,  checked.  The  huge  monster,  with  its 
gleaming  silvery  skin  and  its  curiously-shaped  tail,  lay 
so  ominously  still  and  silent,  with  its  enormous  circular 
black  eyes  so  wide  open  and  fixed,  that,  having  heard  of 
its  threatening  demonstration  against  the  cavalry  who 
attacked  it  on  the  previous  day,  they  felt  certain  it  meant 


268  A   COMICAL   SITUATION. 

mischief,  and  was  only  waiting  for  some  foolhardy  wight 
to  venture  within  its  reach,  to  seize  and  devour  him. 
They  had  been  despatched  by  a  despotic  king  to  capture 
or  kill  the  creature;  but,  whilst  every  man  there  would 
have  emulated  his  neighbour  in  rushing  to  certain  death 
against  the  ranks  of  an  enemy,  there  seemed  to  be  so 
little  glory  in  furnishing  a  breakfast  to  this  monster  that 
every  individual  there  inwardly  resolved  that  some  other 
man  than  himself  should  be  the  first  to  offer  himself  as 
a  sacrifice.  And,  equally  afraid  to  advance  or  to  retire, 
there  they  remained  motionless,  and  in  a  state  of  breath- 
less suspense,  waiting  for  events  to  develop  themselves. 
And  there  they  were  distinctly  visible  from  the  lofty 
stand-point  of  the  Flying  Fish's  deck  when  the  quartette, 
cigar  in  mouth,  emerged  from  the  pilot-house  after  break- 
fast. 

The  situation  was  decidedly  comical,  and  the  travellers 
indulged  in  a  hearty  laugh  at  the  expense  of  the  discom- 
fited savages.  But  it  was  obvious  that  matters  could  not 
be  allowed  to  remain  in  that  condition;  the  natives  must 
be  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  hostilities  were 
neither  necessary  nor  desirable,  and  that  it  would  be 
to  their  advantage  to  be  on  terms  of  amity  with  the  new- 
comers. How  could  this  be  achieved  ?  A  parley  offered 
the  most  ready  solution  of  the  difficulty;  and  the  pro- 
fessor— who  was  a  perfect  polyglot  dictionary  in  human 
form — offered  to  essay  the  task  of  conducting  it.  This 
was  by  no  means  his  first  introduction  to  savages;  he  had 
encountered  them  in  various  parts  of  the  world  before, 
and  had  never  experienced  any  very  serious  difficulty  in 
communicating  with  them,  so  that  he  felt  tolerably  san- 
guine of  success  on  the  present  occasion. 


A  PARLEY  WITH  THE  ENEMY.  269 

"The  matter  is  very  simple,  I  think,"  remarked  the 
German,  as  he  led  the  way  to  the  larboard  gangway. 
"  We  want  these  people  to  understand  that  we  are 
friendly  disposed  toward  them;  that  they  have  nothing 
whatever  to  fear  from  us;  that  w^e  have  not  come  here  to 
rob  them  of  one  tittle  of  their  possessions;  that  we  merely 
wish  to  explore  and  examine  these  ancient  ruins;  and 
that,  if  they  will  receive  us  among  them  as  friends,  they 
will  be  distinct  and  decided  gainers  by  the  transaction. 
Is  not  that  so?" 

"Certainly,"  remarked  the  baronet.  "Tell  them — if 
you  can — that  all  we  ask  is  permission  to  investigate  and 
explore  unmolested;  and  that  if  they  will  accord  us  this 
privilege  they  shall  be  substantially  rewarded." 

"  Very  good ;  I  will  do  my  best.  And  that  reminds  me 
that  you  had  better  order  George  to  bring  on  deck  and 
open  a  small  case  of  those  beads  and  nicknacks  that  we 
provided  for  such  occasions  as  the  present,"  remarked  the 
professor. 

The  baronet  returned  to  the  pilot-house  to  give  the 
order;  and  von  Schalckenberg  drew  out  his  white  pocket- 
handkerchief,  waved  it  two  or  three  times  in  the  air,  and 
then  demanded,  in  the  language  he  thought  most  likely 
to  be  intelligible: 

"  What  chief  commands  the  w^arriors  who  have  assem- 
bled to  pay  homage  to  the  four  Spirits  of  the  Winds?" 

Most  luckily  for  the  professor's  prestige  and  reputation 
as  an  all- wise  Spirit,  the  dialect  he  had  adopted,  though 
not  the  language  actually  spoken  by  the  tribe  he  ad- 
dressed, was  so  far  similar  that  his  question  was  under- 
stood; and  whilst  the  astounded  blacks  started  to  their 
feet  in  dismay  at  finding  themselves  at  last  actually  face 


270  LUALAMBA. 

to  face  with  and  addressed  by  an  avowed  Spirit,  one  of 
them  hesitatingly  and  timorously  advanced  a  few  paces, 
threw  himself  prostrate  on  the  ground,  and,  maintaining 
his  posture  of  humility,  stammered  out: 

"  I,  Lualamba,  am  the  leader  of  these  warriors,  O  most 
potent  Spirit." 

"  Approach,  brave  Lualamba,  and  ascend  to  us  by  the 
ladder  which  we  will  let  down  to  you.  We  have  that  to 
say  which  must  be  heard  by  your  ear  alone,"  commanded 
the  professor,  waving  his  hand  majestically. 

A  rope-ladder  was  attached  to  the  lower  extremity  of 
the  side-ladder  and  let  down  to  the  ground;  and  the 
chief,  in  a  state  of  mind  about  equally  divided  between 
the  extremity  of  bodily  fear  on  the  one  hand  and  pride 
at  being  selected  as  the  recipient  of  a  special  communica- 
tion from  the  Spirit  Land  on  the  other,  hesitatingly  and 
falteringly,  and  with  many  doubtful  pauses,  advanced 
until  he  reached  the  foot  of  the  ladder,  when  his  courage 
failed  him,  and  he  came  to  a  dead  halt. 

"  Ascend,  and  fear  not,"  called  out  the  professor  encour- 
agingly; "we  are  the  friends  of  your  nation,  and  have 
forgiven  the  attack  w^hich  some  of  your  people  (not 
knowing  us)  made  upon  us  yesterday.  We  have  come 
hither  to  shower  gifts  and  benefits  upon  you — if  you  are 
obedient;  but  if  you  reject  our  friendship,  bewaee!" 

Upon  this  the  savage,  no  doubt  feeling  that,  by  placing 
himself  at  the  head  of  this  most  unlucky  expedition,  he 
had  already  gone  too  far  to  permit  of  withdrawal,  sum- 
moned up  all  his  courage,  and,  with  the  air  of  a  man  who 
knew  himself  to  be  treading  on  mined  ground,  scrambled 
up  the  swaying  ladder,  and  finally  stepped  in  through 
the  gangway  on  to  the  spacious  deck  of  the  Flying  Fish, 


ELICITING   INFORMATION.  271 

upon  which  he  prostrated  himself  on  his  face,  laying  his 
shield  and  weapons — his  most  valued  possessions — as  an 
offering  at  the  feet  of  the  professor. 

The  latter,  touching  him  lightly  on  the  shoulder,  at 
once  bade  him  rise ;  and,  as  the  chief  gathered  himself  up 
and  regained  his  feet,  von  Schalckenberg  threw  round  the 
quaking  but  gratified  savage's  neck  a  string  of  large 
opaque,  turquoise-blue  glass  beads,  and  over  his  naked 
shoulders  a  length  of  gaudily-flowered  chintz.  A  loud 
shout  of  admiration  from  the  crowd  of  natives  below 
proclaimed  the  fact  that  they  had  witnessed  the  bestowal 
of  these  gifts,  whilst  Lualamba,  notwithstanding  the 
august  presence  in  which  he  found  himself,  could  not 
restrain  the  broad  grin  of  delight  which  spontaneously 
overspread  his  features. 

A  few  judicious  questions,  artfully  put,  soon  elicited  from 
the  savage  the  information  that  the  travellers  were  now  in 
the  country  belonging  to  M'Bongwele,  a  fierce,  cruel,  and 
jealous  despot,  so  suspicious  of  foreigners  that  the  most 
stringent  orders  were  in  force  to  allow  none  such  to  cross 
his  borders  upon  any  pretence  whatever.  This  king  had 
been  duly  apprised,  through  the  medium  of  the  curious 
voice -telegraphic  mode  of  communication  already  de- 
scribed, of  the  mysterious  arrival  in  his  dominions  on  the 
day  previous;  and  had  been  so  greatly  disconcerted  and 
enraged  at  the  news  that  he  had  forthwith  issued  the 
most  peremptory  orders  for  the  capture  or  slaughter  of 
the  monstrous  visitant;  and  he  was  now,  according  to 
Lualamba,  impatiently  awaiting  in  his  palace,  a  few  miles 
distant,  the  intelligence  that  his  order  had  been  executed. 
The  chief,  during  the  conversation  which  elicited  these 
facts,  had  so  far  recovered  his  self-possession  and  equani- 


272  A  WILY   SAVAGE. 

mity  as  to  be  able  to  make  the  best  possible  use  o£  his 
eyes;  and,  being  a  very  shrewd  fellow,  he  was  not  long- 
in  arriving  at  the  conclusion  that  the  gigantic  monster 
on  whose  back  he  stood  was,  after  all,  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  an  inanimate,  though  unquestionably  wonderful, 
vehicle  of  some  sort;  and  that  the  fair-skinned  beings  to 
whom  he  was  talking,  though  they  claimed  to  be  the  four 
Spirits  of  the  Winds,  were  very  similar  in  many  respects 
to  certain  white  men  whom  he  had  seen  only  a  few 
moons  ago.  The  wily  savage  accordingly  made  up  his 
mind  that,  if  he  could  only  induce  these  beings  to  accom- 
pany him  into  the  king's  presence,  he  would,  after  all, 
have  most  satisfactorily  accomplished  his  mission;  and  he 
forthwith  proceeded,  with  all  the  craft  and  subtlety  of 
which  he  was  master,  to  urge  upon  them  the  desirability 
of  an  immediate  visit  to  king  M'Bongwele,  who,  averse 
as  he  was  to  the  prying  visits  of  strange  men,  would,  he 
assured  them,  be  highly  gratified  at  the  honour  of  hav- 
ing as  his  guests  the  four  Spirits  of  the  Winds. 

This  proposition,  however,  by  no  means  accorded  with 
the  views  of  the  travellers;  and  von  Schalckenberg  some- 
what sternly  intimated  that,  whilst  an  interview  with 
M'Bongwele  was  undoubtedly  desirable,  it  was  he  who 
must  visit  and  pay  homage  to  them,  and  not  they  to  him. 
They  had  entered  the  country  with  the  most  friendly 
disposition  toward  M'Bongwele  and  his  people,  and  that 
friendly  disposition  would  be  manifested  to  the  distinct 
advantage  of  the  entire  nation  if  the  king  showed  him- 
self properly  appreciative  of  the  honour  done  him  by  this 
visit.  But  if  not,  king  and  people  would  be  very  severely 
punished  for  the  insult  offered  to  their  potent  visitors, 
'and,'  continued  the  professor,  'in  order  that  Lualamba 


lualamba's  trip  skyward.  273 

might  see  for  himself  that,  in  making  this  threat,  they 
were  indulging  in  no  mere  empty  boast,  he  would  give 
the  chief  and  his  followers  a  single  specimen  of  their 
power/ 

Mildmay  having,  during  the  progress  of  this  conversa- 
tion, received  a  hint  from  the  professor  how  to  act,  had 
quietly,  and  as  if  not  particularly  interested  in  what  was 
going  forward,  sauntered  oft'  to  the  pilot-house,  where, 
stationing  himself  at  the  engine  and  other  levers  control- 
ling the  movements  of  the  ship,  he  awaited  further  in- 
structions. 

The  professor,  having  promised  to  give  the  savages  a 
specimen  of  their  visitors'  power,  now  waved  his  right 
hand  very  slowly  and  impressively  skyward,  as  a  signal 
to  the  watchful  Mildmay,  loudly  exclaiming  as  he  did  so: 

"  Lualamba  will  now  accompany  the  four  Spirits  of  the 
Winds  to  yonder  cloud,''  pointing,  as  he  spoke,  to  a 
single  small  white  fleecy  cloud  which  was  floating  at  the 
moment  across  the  sun's  disc. 

Dexterously  manipulating  the  various  valves,  Mildmay 
caused  the  Flying  Fish  to  rise  with  a  gentle  and  almost 
imperceptible  motion  from  the  earth.  So  gentle  was  the 
movement  that  Lualamba  was  utterly  unconscious  of  it, 
and  it  was  not  until  some  seconds  had  elapsed  that  he 
fully  realized  what  was  happening.  The  savages  below, 
however,  no  sooner  heard  von  Schalckenberg's  exclama- 
tion than,  to  their  inexpressible  horror,  they  beheld  the 
huge  structure,  round  which  they  were  standing,  lift 
itself  off  the  earth  without  the  slightest  visible  effort  and 
begin  to  rise  into  the  air.  Many  of  them  were  so  over- 
powered by  astonishment  that  they  could  only  stand, 
open-mouthed  and  as  motionless  as  statues,  staring  at  the 

(359)  3 


274  DISCOMFITURE   OF  THE   SAVAGES. 

extraordinary  sight;  others,  however,  remembering  the 
stringent  orders  of  the  king,  and  feeling  that  the  prize 
which  they  had  believed  to  be  so  secure  was  not  only 
escaping  them  but  also  carrying  off  one  of  their  number, 
rushed  forward,  and,  whilst  some  fruitlessly  attempted  to 
grasp  and  hold  the  smooth  and  polished  hull,  others 
seized  and  clung  tenaciously  to  the  rope-ladder.  The 
weight  of  some  seven  or  eight  natives  clinging  to  the 
dangling  ladder  had,  of  course,  no  visible  effect  upon  the 
movement  of  the  great  ship ;  and,  finding  themselves 
being  helplessly  dragged  skyward,  they  let  go  their  hold 
with  a  yell  of  dismay  when  they  were  some  four  or  ^ve 
yards  from  the  earth,  upon  which  they  dropped  back 
heavily. 

The  ship  once  fairly  off  the  ground,  Mildmay  increased 
the  rarefaction  of  the  air  in  the  air-chambers  to  an 
almost  perfect  vacuum,  and  the  immense  structure  soared 
skyward  with  great  rapidity.  Lualamba,  hearing  the 
shouts  of  his  people  from  below,  stepped  to  the  gangway 
to  ascertain  the  cause;  and  it  was  then  that,  to  his  inex- 
pressible dismay,  he  saw  the  earth  apparently  falling 
from  under  him,  and  the  upturned  faces  of  his  followers 
rapidly  dwindling  until  they  became  unrecognizable.  In 
the  first  extremity  of  his  terror  he  would  have  flung 
himself  headlong  from  the  deck  had  he  not  been  pre- 
vented; failing  in  this  he  prostrated  himself,  and  for 
some  time  lay  motionless,  with  his  face  hidden  in  his 
hands.  At  length,  however,  somewhat  reassured  by  the 
encouraging  adjurations  of  the  professor  and  the  appa- 
rent absence  of  movement  in  the  ship,  he  ventured  first 
of  all  to  uncover  his  eyes  and  then  to  rise  slowly  to  his 
feet.     He  glanced  wildly  about  him,  but  could  see  no- 


A  NOVEL  EXPERIENCE  FOR  LUALAMBA.       275 

tiling,  save  a  thick  white  mist  which  completely  envel- 
oped the  ship  (for  she  had  just  plunged  into  the  centre 
of  the  cloud),  with  the  sun  dimly  visible  through  it;  and 
a  fresh  paroxysm  of  terror  seized  him,  for  the  horrible 
thought  at  once  suggested  itself  that  he  had  looked  his 
last  upon  mother  Earth.  The  professor,  however,  speedily 
reassured  him  upon  this  point,  and,  leading  him  to  the 
guard-rail  which  ran  round  the  deck,  bade  him  look 
downward.  Terrified  into  the  most  servile  obedience, 
the  wretched  chief  did  as  he  was  bidden,  and  in  a  few 
minutes,  the  mist  growing  thinner  and  thinner,  he  once 
more  caught  sight  of  the  earth  at  an  immense  distance 
below,  the  gigantic  ruins  above  which  they  were  hover- 
ing dwarfed  to  a  mere  sprinkling  of  boulders  over  the 
plain;  the  trees,  the  clumps  of  bush,  and  the  meandering 
streams  stretching  away  to  the  horizon  in  almost  illimit- 
able perspective,  and  to  the  eastward  the  sea,  with  just 
one  solitary  sail  upon  it,  barely  visible  above  its  gleam- 
ing rim. 

Ignorant  savage  though  he  was,  Lualamba  was  quite 
intelligent  enough  to  appreciate  the  novel  beauty  of  the 
scene  upon  which  his  eyes  now  rested;  and,  forgetting 
for  the  moment  all  his  terrors,  he  leaned  upon  the  rail, 
lost  in  wonder  and  admiration.  And  when,  after  a 
minute  or  two,  he  became  conscious  that  the  ship  was 
again  nearing  the  earth,  his  delight  knew  no  bounds,  for 
he  felt  that,  as  the  -hero  of  so  unique  an  experience  as  he 
was  now  passing  through,  he  must  henceforth  be  a  per- 
son of  much  greater  consequence  among  his  countrymen 
than  he  had  ever  been  before. 

Meanwhile  the  travellers  had  availed  themselves  of 
their  recent  ascent  to  sharply  scrutinize  the  face  of  the 


276  A  MESSAGE  TO   THE   KING. 

country  immediately  adjacent  to  the  ruins,  and  had  at 
length  discovered,  on  the  summit  of  a  distant  hill,  an 
extensive  village  or  settlement,  strongly  defended  by  a 
circular  stockade,  which  they  shrewdly  suspected  to  be 
the  headquarters  of  king  M'Bongwele.  The  single  street, 
which  ran  through  the  centre  of  the  village  from  end  to 
end,  was  crowded  with  people  all  gazing  skyward  at  the 
unwonted  apparition  of  the  aerial  ship ;  and,  with  the  aid 
of  their  telescopes,  the  travellers  could  see  in  the  central 
square  a  small  group  of  persons  (who  they  conjectured  to 
be  the  king  and  his  suite)  similarly  engaged,  surrounded 
and  protected  from  the  rabble  by  a  phalanx  of  armed 
men. 

The  ship  swept  rapidly  onward  until  she  hovered 
immediately  over  the  last-named  party  (just  to  impress 
upon  the  king  a  wholesome  conviction  of  the  utter  useless- 
ness  of  his  stockade  as  a  protection  against  such  a  foe  as 
the  Flying  Fish),  and  then,  making  a  majestic  sweep, 
came  gently  to  earth  immediately  opposite  the  principal 
gate  in  the  stockade. 

"Now,  go,''  said  the  professor,  addressing  Lualamba, 
"  and  inform  king  M'Bongwele  that  we  await  him  on  the 
spot  among  the  ruins  where  you  found  us  this  morning." 

The  bewildered  chief,  scarcely  able  to  realize  the  fact 
that  he  had  actually  been  brought  safely  back  to  terra 
firma,  lost  no  time  in  availing  himself  of  the  permission 
given  him  to  depart,  and,  scrambling  down  the  ship's  side 
and  the  rope-ladder,  he  reached  the  ground  and  bounded 
off  like  a  startled  deer  toward  the  gate,  which  was  hastily 
thrown  open  to  admit  him,  and  as  hastily  closed  and 
barred  again  the  moment  he  had  passed  through.  The 
Flying  Fish  then  rose  once  more  into  the  air  and  leisurely 


THE   DELIVERY   OF  THE   MESSAGE.  277 

made  her  way  back  to  the  ruins,  passing,  en  route ,  the 
force  which  had  been  sent  out  to  capture  her,  and  which 
was  now  making  the  best  of  its  way  back  to  the  village 
to  report  the  result  of  the  expedition. 

Meanwhile  Lualamba  made  his  way  rapidly  up  through 
the  village  to  the  king's  palace  (which  was,  after  all, 
merely  the  largest  hut  in  the  inclosure),  having  gained 
which  he  besought  an  immediate  audience  with  M'Bong- 
wele  on  a  matter  of  the  utmost  importance.  The  king, 
who  had  already  been  made  acquainted  with  the  circum- 
stance of  the  chief's  involuntary  journey  into  the  upper 
regions,  was,  of  course,  all  curiosity  to  learn  the  fullest 
details  of  the  adventure,  and  the  desired  audience  was 
accordingly  at  once  granted.  Conscious  of  the  fact  that, 
for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  he  had  failed  to  execute  the 
mission  intrusted  to  him,  and  extremely  doubtful  as  to 
the  reception  which  would  be  accorded  to  the  message  of 
which  he  was  the  unwilling  bearer,  Lualamba  deemed  it 
best  on  this  occasion  to  tell  a  plain  unvarnished  tale,  and, 
commencing  his  narrative  at  the  point  where  he  and  his 
warriors  had  first  come  within  sight  of  the  huge  object  of 
which  they  were  in  quest,  he  described  in  full  detail  all 
his  subsequent  adventures,  with  the  thoughts,  feelings, 
and  impressions  resulting  therefrom,  and  wound  up 
falteringly  with  the  message. 

His  story  was  received  by  the  king  and  his  suite  with 
ejaculations  of  wonder  and  incredulity,  interspersed  with 
many  sharp  commands  from  the  monarch  to  repeat  or 
to  explain  more  fully  certain  passages;  and  when  the 
message  was  delivered  a  profound  silence  reigned  for  fully 
an  hour.  King  M'Bongwele  was  a  despot,  accustomed  to 
issue  his  commands  in  the  most  heedless  manner  and  to 


278  KING  M'bONGWELE   FEELS   PERPLEXED. 

have  them  executed  at  all  costs ;  but  to  receive  a  command 
was  an  entirely  novel  and  decidedly  disagreeable  ex- 
perience, and  he  was  thoroughly  puzzled  how  to  act.  His 
first  feeling  was  one  of  speechless  indignation  at  the 
insolence  of  these  audacious  strangers;  his  second,  a 
wholesome  fear  of  the  consequences  of  disobedience.  For 
if  these  mysterious  visitants  had  the  power  of  soaring 
into  the  air  by  a  mere  wave  of  the  hand,  what  might  it 
not  be  possible  for  them  to  do  in  the  event  of  their  being 
seriously  provoked.  Besides,  he  had  already  received  a 
practical  assurance  of  his  impotency  so  far  as  they  were 
concerned;  moreover,  he  was  consumed  by  curiosity  to 
see  for  himself  the  marvels  so  graphically  described  by 
his  lieutenant,  to  receive  a  moiety  of  those  magnificent 
gifts  which  the  strangers  seemed  prepared  to  lavish 
broadcast  upon  all  with  whom  they  chanced  to  come  into 
contact,  and,  above  all,  to  satisfy  himself  with  respect  to 
certain  conjectures  which  had  flitted  through  his  brain 
whilst  listening  to  the  astonishing  narrative  of  Lualamba. 
M'Bongwele  was  an  ignorant  savage,  it  is  true,  but  he 
was  possessed  of  a  dauntless  courage,  a  persistency  of 
purpose,  and  an  unscrupulous  craftiness  and  ambitious - 
ness  of  character  which  would  have  won  him  distinction 
of  a  certain  unenviable  kind  in  any  community.  Already 
his  brain  was  teeming  with  vague  unformed  plots  of  the 
wildest  and  most  audaciously  extravagant  description, 
the  possibility  of  which  he  was  determined  to  ascertain 
for  himself,  and  the  maturing  of  which  he  was  quite  pre- 
pared to  leave  to  time.  He  therefore  ultimately  resolved 
to  obey  the  summons  sent  him  by  the  strangers;  but, 
remembering  his  kingly  dignity,  he  postponed  obedience 
as  long  as  he  dared,  and  it  was  not  until  four  o'clock  in 


AN   IMPOSING   CAVALCADE.  279 

the  afternoon  that  he  set  out  for  the  ruins,  attired  in  all 
his  native  finery,  consisting  of  a  lion-skin  mantle  and 
magnificent  gold  coronet  adorned  with  flamingo's  feathers 
— the  emblems  of  his  regal  power — gold  bangles  on  his 
arms  and  ankles,  a  necklace  of  lion's  teeth  and  claws 
round  his  neck,  and  a  short  petticoat  of  leopard's  skin 
about  his  loins.  He  was  armed  with  a  sheaf  of  light 
javelins  or  assegais,  he  carried  in  his  left  hand  a  long 
narrow  shield  of  rhinoceros  hide  decorated  with  ostrich 
plumes,  and  he  was  mounted  on  a  superb  black  horse 
(which  he  rode  bare-backed  and  managed  with  the  skill 
of  a  finished  equestrian).  His  followers,  numbering  about 
Hve  hundred,  were  also  fully  armed  and  excellently 
mounted,  they  being,  indeed,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
court  ofl&cials,  his  regiment  of  household  cavalry,  the  pick 
of  his  native  warriors  and  the  very  flower  of  his  army. 
He  was  anxious  to  make  the  profoundest  possible  im- 
pression of  his  power  and  greatness  upon  the  mysterious 
beings  he  was  about  to  visit;  and,  indeed,  the  cavalcade, 
as  it  swept  at  a  hand-gallop  out  through  the  wide  gate- 
way which  formed  the  principal  opening  in  the  stockade, 
constituted,  with  its  tossing  plumes,  its  fluttering  mantles, 
its  glancing  weapons,  and  its  prancing  horses,  a  sight  to 
make  a  soldier's  heart  bound  with  appreciative  delight. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

KING   M'bONGWELE   IS   TEMPORARILY   REDUCED 
TO   SUBMISSION. 


N  the  return  of  the  Flying  Fish  to  her  former 
berth  the  subject  of  the  reception  to  be  accorded 
to  king  M'Bongwele,  in  the  event  of  his  obey- 
ing their  summons,  was  somewhat  anxiously  discussed  by 
the  travellers.  They  had  already  seen  and  heard  enough 
to  convince  them  that  the  individual  in  question  was  a 
sovereign  of  considerable  power,  as  African  kings  go,  and 
former  experience  among  savages  had  taught  them  that 
he  would,  as  likely  as  not,  prove  to  be  a  crafty,  un- 
scrupulous, and  slippery  customer  to  deal  with.  To 
satisfactorily  carry  out  the  object  of  their  visit  to  this 
man's  country — namely,  the  examination  and  exploration 
of  the  mysterious  and  very  interesting  ruins  which  sur- 
rounded them — it  would  be  absolutely  necessary  that  they 
should  be  able  to  pass  to  and  fro,  freely  and  unmolested, 
between  the  ship  and  the  various  points  selected  for 
examination;  and,  in  order  to  secure  this  perfect  freedom, 
it  would  be  necessary  not  only  to  conciliate  this  powerful 
ruler  and  his  people,  but  also  to  so  thoroughly  im- 
press him  and  them  with  the  mysterious  and  wonderful 


PREPARATIONS   FOR  M'bONGWELE's   SUBJECTION.         281 

attributes  of  their  unbidden  guests  that  they  should,  one 
and  all,  be  absolutely  afraid  to  interfere  with  them.  The 
question  was,  how  could  this  be  most  effectually  achieved? 
The  first  part  of  the  programme,  namely  the  conciliation 
of  sovereign  and  subjects,  appeared  simple  enough;  the 
obvious  pride  and  delight  with  which  Lualamba  had 
received  his  flashy  presents  of  beads  and  Manchester 
finery  furnished  a  key  to  the  satisfactory  solution  of  this 
difficulty;  but  how  was  the  second  and  equally  important 
part  of  the  programme  to  be  carried  out?  Lualamba,  it  was 
true,  had  been  effectually  cowed  by  the  simple  expedient 
of  carrying  him  a  few  thousand  feet  up  into  the  air;  but 
something  more  than  the  mere  repetition  of  this  experi- 
ment would  be  necessary  to  produce  the  required  impres- 
sion upon  M'Bongwele  and  the  crowd  of  warriors  he 
would  be  certain  to  bring  with  him.  The  matter  was 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  professor  for  settlement,  and 
he  promptly  avowed  himself  to  be  fully  equal  to  the  task. 

"  Science,  my  friends,"  he  remarked,  ^'  is  constantly  re- 
vealing wonders  which  surprise  and  astound  even  the 
most  cultured  minds  of  the  civilized  world;  how  much 
more  capable  is  it  then  of  overawing  the  uncultured 
savage,  however  shrewd  and  clever  he  may  be  in  those 
simple  matters  which  affect  his  everyday  life!  Leave  it 
to  me;  we  have  ample  scientific  means  at  our  command  to 
quell  this  man  and  his  followers,  and  to  reduce  them  to  a 
state  of  the  most  abject  and  servile  subjection.'* 

Von  Schalckenberg  then  retired  to  make  his  propag- 
ations, which  were  soon  complete.  When  next  he  ap- 
peared he  carried  upon  one  arm  a  glittering  mass  of 
what  at  first  sight  appeared  to  be  drapery,  but  which,  on 
his  unfolding  it,  proved  to  be  three  suits  of  chain  armour 


282  THE   PROFESSORS    FORETHOUGHT. 

(minus  helmet  and  gauntlets),  constructed  of  very  small 
fine  links  of  sethereum,  light  and  flexible  as  silk. 

"  I  think,"  said  he,  "  it  will  be  unadvisable  to  make  any 
change  in  our  outward  appearance  in  preparing  to  receive 
this  royal  savage;  any  such  change  would  be  certainly 
noticed,  and  as  certainly  regarded  as  an  indication  of  the 
importance  we  attach  to  his  visit.  Now,  our  policy  is  to 
treat  the  whole  afiair  as  a  matter  of  no  moment  whatever, 
and  we  will  therefore  (if  you  agree  with  my  views)  con- 
tinue to  wear  the  white  flannel  suits  in  which  we  received 
Lualamba  this  morning.  But  I  would  recommend  that 
each  of  you  don  a  suit  of  this  mail  under  your  clothing 
(I  have  already  assumed  mine),  and  we  shall  then  be 
pretty  well  prepared  for  emergencies.  These  savages  are 
often  exceedingly  treacherous  fellows,  and  it  is  quite 
among  the  possibilities  that  certain  of  this  king's  followers 
may  have  received  instructions  to  test  our  supposed  in- 
vulnerability by  a  sly  stab  in  the  back  or  something  of 
that  kind;  it  will  be  well,  therefore,  that  we  should  be 
properly  prepared  for  anything  of  the  kind.  I  had  in 
view  some  such  occasion  as  the  present  when  I  arranged 
for  the  construction  of  these  suits.  There  is  a  helmet  and 
gauntlets  for  each;  but  we  shall  scarcely  need  them  to- 
day, I  think,  and  it  would  hardly  be  politic  to  wear  any 
visible  defensive  armour." 

The  luncheon  hour  arrived  and  passed  without  sign  or 
token  of  the  presence  of  a  single  savage  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  as  the  afternoon  waned  with  still  no  indication 
of  human  vicinity,  the  travellers — but  for  the  absolute 
impregnability  of  the  Flying  Fish — would  have  begun  to 
feel  uneasy.  About  half-past  four  o'clock,  however,  as 
the  quartette  were  languidly  puffing  at  their  cigars,  lolling 


ARRIVAL   OF  THE   KING.  283 

meanwhile  in  the  most  luxurious  of  deck-chairs,  a  huo-e 
cloud  of  yellow  dust  rising  into  the  air  beyond  the  ruins 
announced  the  approach  of  the  cavalcade,  and  a  minute 
or  two  later  king  M'Bongwele  at  the  head  of  his  cavalry 
swept  like  a  whirlwind  into  the  open  space  occupied  by 
the  great  ship,  and,  charging  in  a  solid  square  close  up  to 
her,  suddenly  wheeled  right  and  left  into  line,  and  came 
to  an  abrupt  halt.  The  evolution  was  very  brilliantly 
executed,  and  as  Lethbridge  lazily  scanned  the  performers 
through  the  thin  filmy  smoke  of  his  cigar,  he  could  not 
restrain  a  low  murmur  of  admiration,  followed  by  the  re- 
mark : 

"By  George!  what  splendid  soldiers  those  fellows  would 
make  with  a  couple  of  months'  training!" 

"  Y-e-s,"  agreed  the  baronet,  "  that  was  very  well  done; 
but  I  suppose  that  particular  evolution  is  the  one  in  which 
they  most  excel,  and  of  course  it  was  done  purely  for  effect. 
Ah!  the  individual  now  dismounting  is,  I  suppose,  our 
royal  visitor." 

The  baronet  was  quite  right  in  his  conjecture.  As  the 
party  halted,  some  ten  or  a  dozen  individuals,  including 
Lualamba,  flung  themselves  from  their  horses,  and,  ad- 
vancing reverentially,  grouped  themselves  about  the  royal 
charger.  Two  of  them  then  stepped  to  the  creature's  head 
and  grasped  the  bridle,  whilst  two  more  assisted  the  king 
to  dismount.  The  horse  was  then  handed  over  to  the 
care  of  a  warrior,  and  the  king,  closely  followed  by  the 
members  of  his  suite,  advanced  to  the  foot  of  the  rope- 
ladder,  which  had  been  lowered  for  their  accommodation; 
the  professor  at  the  same  time  stepping  to  the  gangway 
and  inviting  the  party  to  ascend. 

M'Bongwele  looked  somewhat  doubtfully  at  the  sway- 


284  PORTRAIT   OF   KING   m'bONGWELE. 

ing  ladder  for  a  moment  or  two,  and  then  essayed  the 
ascent;  but  the  oscillation  set  up  by  his  movements  proved 
too  much  for  his  nerves — or  his  dignity — and,  much 
chagrined,  he  was  obliged  to  desist.  The  professor  then 
in  compassion  suggested  the  steadying  of  the  ladder  at 
its  foot,  when  the  king,  promptly  giving  the  necessary 
order  to  his  suite,  ascended  to  the  deck,  leaving  those 
who  followed  him  to  manage  as  best  they  could. 

The  first  glance  of  the  travellers  satisfied  them  that  in 
king  M'Bongwele  they  had  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
intelligence  to  deal  with.  The  colour  of  his  skin  and 
complexion  was  a  rich  deep  brown,  he  stood  nearly  six 
feet  high  on  his  naked  feet,  and,  but  for  his  somewhat 
excessive  corpulence,  he  would  have  been  a  man  of  mag- 
nificent proportions.  His  lips  were  rather  thick,  and  his 
nose  somewhat  flattened,  but  not  nearly  as  much  so  as  in 
the  case  of  the  genuine  negro.  His  forehead  was  broad 
and  lofty,  though  receding,  his  eyes  keen,  restless,  and 
piercing,  and  there  was  a  crafty,  cruel,  resolute  look  about 
the  lower  part  of  his  face  which  taught  his  hosts  that 
they  w^ould  have  to  be  exceedingly  cautious  in  their  deal- 
ings with  him.  He  was  accommodated  with  a  chair  be- 
tween Sir  Reginald  and  the  professor,  the  former  being 
flanked  by  Lethbridge  (Mildmay,  in  accordance  with  pre- 
vious arrangements,  had  ensconced  himself  in  the  pilot- 
house); Lualamba  and  the  rest  of  the  suite  were  quietly 
allowed  to  squat  in  a  semicircle  before  them  on  the  deck. 

The  king  opened  the  conversation  by  somewhat  abruptly 
demanding  the  reason  for  the  strangers'  visit  to  his 
dominions;  to  which  the  professor  replied  by  pointing  to 
the  ruins,  explaining  that  they  were  believed  to  be  the 
remains  of  a  great  city  built  many  ages  ago  by  a  very 


THE   KING   PROVES   SOMEWHAT  SCEPTICAL.  285 

interesting  race  of  people  of  whom  but  little  was  known, 
and  he  and  his  companions  were  anxious  to  minutely  ex- 
amine and  explore  what  was  left,  in  the  hope  of  discover- 
ing some  sculptured  or  other  record  bearing  upon  the 
origin,  habits,  and  history  of  the  builders. 

A  few  minutes  of  profound  meditation  on  the  part  of 
the  king  followed  this  announcement,  and  then  he  sud- 
denly demanded  where  the  travellers  had  come  from. 
The  professor  replied  by  a  comprehensive  sweep  of  the 
hand  skyward. 

"But,"  objected  M'Bongwele,  "if  you  are  spirits  you 
should  know  all  that  you  want  to  know  about  these  ruins 
without  coming  here  to  investigate.  The  spirits  know 
everything." 

A  low  murmur  of  applause  from  the  king's  adherents 
followed  this  enunciation,  showing  that  they  evidently 
considered  their  monarch  to  be  getting  the  better  of  the 
strangers,  and  a  smile  of  gratification  flickered  for  an 
instant  over  M'Bongwele's  features. 

"  Not  everything,"  corrected  the  professor.  "  We  know 
a  great  many  things,  but  not  everything.  And  what  we 
know  we  have  been  obliged  to  find  out  by  investigation. 
We  spend  the  greater  part  of  our  existence  in  passing 
from  place  to  place  investigating  and  finding  out  things." 

"Then  I  have  been  misinformed,  and  the  spirits  are 
neither  so  wise  nor  so  powerful  as  I  thought  them  to  be," 
retorted  the  king. 

"Perhaps  so,"  quietly  remarked  the  professor.  "Never- 
theless we  are  very  powerful — sufficiently  so  to  destroy 
you  and  your  whole  army  in  a  moment,  should  we  choose 
to  do  so.  Would  you  like  to  witness  a  specimen  or  two 
of  our  power?" 


286  A   DANGEROUS   EXPERIMENT. 

M*Bongwele  glanced  somewhat  nervously  about  him 
for  a  second  or  two,  and  then  with  an  obvious  effort 
answered: 

"Yes." 

"I  see  that  some  of  your  followers  here  are  armed  with 
bows/'  continued  the  professor.  "Are  they  good  marks- 
men?" 

"  The  best  in  the  world,"  answered  the  king  proudly. 

The  professor  in  his  turn  hesitated  an  instant;  he  was 
about  to  make  a  dangerous  experiment.  Then  he  drew 
from  his  pocket  a  small  crimson  silk  rosette,  and,  placing 
it  in  M'Bongwele's  hand,  said: 

"  I  will  attach  this  to  any  part  of  my  dress  you  choose 
to  point  out;  then  order  one  of  your  archers  to  shoot  an 
arrow  at  it,  and  observe  the  result." 

The  king  took  the  rosette  in  his  hand,  examined  it 
carefully,  and  passed  it  round  among  his  suite  for  inspec- 
tion. On  receiving  it  back  he  suddenly  wheeled  round 
in  his  chair,  and,  reaching  over,  laid  his  finger  on  Leth- 
bridge's  breast  exactly  over  the  heart." 

"  Fasten  it  there^'  he  said  with  a  scornful  smile,  "  and 
I  will  shoot  at  it  myself." 

The  professor  was  disconcerted.  The  danger  of  the 
experiment  consisted  in  the  possibility  that  the  archer, 
instead  of  aiming  at  the  rosette,  would  select  an  eye  or 
some  part  of  the  head  for  a  mark,  in  which  case  the 
result  would  be  fatal.  He  was  quite  willing  to  incur  the 
risk  himself,  trusting  that  the  archer's  vanity  would  impel 
him  to  aim  at  the  right  spot;  but  he  had  never  contem- 
plated the  turn  which  affairs  had  now  taken. 

Lethbridge,  however,  with  a  languid  smile  and  a  shrug 
of  the  shoulders,  rose  to  his  feet,  and,  nonchalantly  flick- 


THE   KING   TRIES   TO   FRIGHTEN   LETHBRIDGE.  287 

ing  the  ash  off  the  end  of  his  cigar,  waited  for  the  pro- 
fessor to  affix  the  rosette. 

A  happy  inspiration  just  then  occurred  to  von  Schalck- 
enberg.  "It  is  a  very  small  mark,"  he  murmured  con- 
fidentially to  M'Bongwele;  "I  do  not  believe  you  can  hit 
it.     Shall  I  get  something  larger?" 

The  king  would  not  listen  to  any  such  proposal;  he 
was  evidently  anxious  to  exhibit  his  skill;  and  the  pro- 
fessor, reassured,  attached  the  rosette  to  Lethbridge's 
coat  in  the  exact  spot  indicated,  M'Bongwele  and  his 
companions  watching  the  operation  with  the  keenest 
interest. 

The  colonel,  glancing  round  for  a  good  background 
against  which  to  place  himself,  noticed  a  large  clump  of 
trees  with  olive-green  foliage  growing  at  a  short  distance 
directly  astern  of  the  ship.  Against  these  his  white-clad 
figure  would  stand  out  in  strong  relief.  He  accordingly 
stepped  leisurely  out  to  a  suitable  position  on  the  deck, 
and,  with  one  hand  in  his  pocket  and  his  smouldering 
cigar  in  the  other,  patiently  awaited  the  decisive  moment. 
M'Bongwele  in  the  meantime  snatched  a  bow  from  one 
of  his  followers,  and,  selecting  a  long  straight  arrow  from 
the  sheaf,  retired  to  the  other  end  of  the  deck,  a  distance 
of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  his  living  target. 
He  strung  the  bow  carefully,  adjusted  the  arrow  to  the 
string  with  the  utmost  nicety,  drew  it  to  the  head,  and 
then  paused  for  a  full  minute,  apparently  waiting  for 
some  indication  of  flinching  on  Lethbridge's  part.  In 
this,  however,  he  was  disappointed,  not  the  faintest  sug- 
gestion of  uneasiness  could  be  detected  in  the  colonel's 
face — indeed,  he  seemed  to  be  absorbed  in  a  critical  con- 
templation of  the  smoke  which  lazily  wreathed  upward 


288  m'bongwele  discomfited. 

from  the  end  of  the  cigar.  Suddenly  the  bow  twanged 
loudly,  the  arrow  whizzed  through  the  air,  and,  striking 
fair  upon  the  rosette,  fell  in  splinters  to  the  deck.  Leth- 
bridge  somewhat  contemptuously  kicked  the  fragments 
aside,  unpinned  the  rosette  from  the  breast  of  his  coat,  and 
sauntered  back  to  his  former  seat.  The  group  of  chiefs 
gathered  on  the  deck  glanced  at  each  other  and  uttered 
suppressed  ejaculations  of  dismay.  As  for  M'Bongwele, 
he  was  thoroughly  discomfited ;  he  had  been  shrewd 
enough  to  suspect  in  the  professor's  proposal  some  pre- 
concerted arrangement,  which  he  flattered  himself  he  had 
skilfully  baffled;  instead  of  which  his  ruse  had  simply 
redounded  to  his  own  more  complete  confusion. 

The  professor  rose  and  picked  up  the  pierced  rosette, 
w^hich  he  handed  to  the  king. 

''You  are  very  skilful,"  he  remarked,  pointing  to  the 
puncture;  "I  compliment  you."  Then,  changing  his  tone, 
he  continued:  ''We  have  allowed  you  to  do  this  in  order 
that  you  may  be  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  impossi- 
bility of  injuring  us.  Now  you  shall  have  a  further 
example  of  our  power.  Order  your  warriors  to  dismount 
and  try  their  best  to  lift  this  ship  from  off  the  ground." 

The  king  turned  to  Lualamba  and  gave  him  the  neces- 
sary order;  whereupon  the  chief,  descending  the  ladder 
to  the  ground,  advanced  to  the  troops,  and,  dismounting 
them,  assembled  them  all  round  the  hull;  then,  at  a  given 
signal,  the  entire  body  exerted  themselves  to  the  utmost 
to  lift  the  immense  fabric  from  the  ground — of  course 
without  effect,  as  her  chambers  were  full  of  air. 

"  Now,"  said  the  professor  when  the  savages  had  pretty 
well  exhausted  themselves,  "  let  all  but  one  man  retire." 

This  was  done,  Mildmay  meanwhile  exhausting  the 


AN   ASTOUNDING  FEAT.  289 

chambers  until  the  gauge  showed  that  the  ship  weighed 
only  a  few  pounds.  The  professor  glanced  carelessly  at 
the  pilot-house,  caught  the  signal  that  all  was  in  readi- 
ness, and  said  to  the  king: 

"  Now  order  that  man  to  lift  the  ship  on  to  his 
shoulders." 

M'Bongwele  duly  repeated  the  order,  without  the 
slightest  expectation  that  it  would  be  fulfilled;  and  the 
man — who  would  have  plunged  into  a  blazing  bonfire  if 
he  had  been  so  ordered^advanced,  and,  to  the  unutter- 
able astonishment  of  himself,  the  king,  and  in  fact  the 
whole  concourse  of  natives,  raised  the  gigantic  structure 
to  his  shoulders  and  held  it  there  with  scarcely  an  effort. 

"Now,  tell  him  to  toss  us  into  the  air,"  commanded 
von  Schalckenberg,  shouting  down  from  the  gangway  to 
Lualamba. 

And  in  another  second  the  terrified  king  and  his  suite 
felt  a  slight  movement,  and  saw  the  earth  sinking  far 
away  beneath  them.  This  was  altogether  too  much  for 
the  suite,  who  grovelled  on  the  deck  in  mortal  fear;  and 
even  king  M'Bongwele  felt  his  courage  rapidly  oozing 
away  as  he  sat  uneasily  in  his  deck-chair  convulsively 
gripping  its  arms  and  glancing  anxiously  about  him. 

The  ascent  was  continued  to  a  height  of  about  fifteen 
thousand  feet,  at  which  altitude  the  wretched  savages 
were  shivering  even  more  with  cold  than  they  had 
hitherto  done  with  fear.  The  ship  was  then  headed 
straight  for  the  sea,  which  she  soon  reached,  and,  speed- 
ing onward  at  the  rate  of  thirty  miles  an  hour,  her  course 
was  continued,  accompanied  by  a  gradual  descent  until 
the  land  was  lost  sight  of;  when  a  wide  sweep  was  made, 
and,  at  a  height  of  only  one  hundred  feet  above  the 

(359)  T 


290  m'bongwele  has  met  his  match. 

waves,  the  return  journey  was  commenced.  This  ex- 
perience proved  sufficient,  and  more  than  sufficient,  for 
M'Bongwele;  he  was  completely  cowed;  and  when  he 
found  himself  hovering  over  the  illimitable  sea,  without 
a  sign  of  land  in  any  direction,  he  flung  himself  upon  his 
knees  before  the  professor  and  piteously  entreated  to  be 
restored  to  his  home  and  people,  abjectly  promising  that  he 
and  they  would  be  the  willing  slaves  of  the  White^  Spirits 
for  ever;  and  as  for  the  ruins,  the  Spirits  might  do  what- 
ever they  chose  with  them,  freely  and  without  let  or 
hindrance.  This  was  all  very  well,  but  von  Schalckenberg 
had  not  yet  fully  carried  out  his  programme ;  he  had  still 
one  more  item  in  the  entertainment  which  he  was  de- 
termined to  produce,  and  which  he  fully  believed  would 
render  M'Bongwele's  subjugation  not  only  complete  but 
permanent. 

Accordingly,  on  returning  to  thei^  starting-place  (by 
which  time  it  was  nearly  dark),  the  demoralized  warriors, 
who  had  all  but  given  up  their  king  as  lost,  were  set  to 
work  by  von  Schalckenberg's  orders  to  collect  wood  for 
a  p'io-antic  bonfire.  This  was  soon  done,  and  the  fire  was 
kindled;  but,  much  of  the  wood  being  green,  an  immense 
cloud  of  smoke  was  raised,  with  very  little  flame,  which 
exactly  suited  the  professor's  purpose.  When  the  fire  was 
fairly  alight,  the  troops  were  re-formed  in  line  as  close  to 
the  ship  as  possible,  and  M'Bongwele  and  his  suite  were 
arranged  in  position  on  the  deck  immediately  beneath  the 
pilot-house  walls.  By  this  time  it  was  perfectly  dark, 
save  for  the  starlight  and  the  flickering  gleam  of  the  bon- 
fire; and  the  air  was  stark  calm. 

Gradually  and  imperceptibly  the  dense  cloud  of  smoke 
which  hung  motionless  over  the  smouldering  pile  became 


TWO  VISIONS.  291 

faintly  luminous.  The  radiance  grew  stronger  and  stronger, 
and  presently  an  immense  circular  disc  of  light  appeared 
reflected  on  the  slowly-rising  cloud  of  vapour,  in  which  a 
host  of  forms  were  indistinctly  traceable.  Another  mo- 
ment and  a  loud  ejaculation  of  astonishment  burst  from 
the  savage  spectators,  for,  with  another  sudden  brighten- 
ing of  the  luminous  disc  there  appeared  the  phantom  pre- 
sentment of  M'Bongwele's  troops  drawn  up  as  they  had 
appeared  a  couple  of  hours  before,  when  the  king  had 
first  boarded  the  Flying  Fish.  So  clear  and  vivid  was 
the  representation  that  it  met  with  instant  recognition, 
amid  loud  murmurs  of  amazement  from  the  beholders; 
the  king  being  quite  as  strongly  moved  as  any  of  his 
subjects. 

"Do  you  recognize  the  vision?"  demanded  the  profes- 
sor sternly  of  M'Bongwele. 

*'  I  do,  I  do.  Those  are  the  spirits  of  my  bravest  sol- 
diers," murmured  the  king.  "  Truly  the  Spirits  of  the 
Winds  have  wondrous  powers." 

"  You  say  well,"  answered  von  Schalckenberg.  "  Now, 
look  again  and  you  shall  see  a  few  of  our  warriors." 

As  he  spoke  the  picture  became  blurred  and  indistinct, 
prismatic  colours  began  to  come  and  go  upon  the  curtain 
of  vapour,  and  suddenly  out  flashed  the  image  of  a  wide- 
stretching  sun-lit  plain,  upon  which  were  drawn  up  on 
parade,  in  illimitable  perspective,  a  countless  host  of 
British  troops,  infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery,  with 
bayonets,  swords,  and  lance-points  gleaming  in  the  sun, 
with  colours  uncased,  guns  limbered  up,  and  all  appa- 
rently ready  and  waiting  for  the  order  to  march.  So 
realistic  was  the  picture  that  even  the  baronet  and  Leth- 
bridge  could  scarcely  repress  an  exclamation  of  astonish- 


292  "IT   IS   ENOUGH:    LET   ME    GO   HOME." 

ment,  and  as  for  M'Bongwele  and  his  people,  tbey  were 
perfectly  breathless  with  surprise.  The  picture  was 
allowed  to  remain  clear,  brilliant,  and  distinct  for  some 
ten  minutes,  then  the  radiant  disc  rapidly  faded  until  it 
vanished  altogether,  and  nothing  remained  but  the  red 
glimmer  of  the  smouldering  fire. 

A  heavy  sigh  issued  from  M'Bongwele's  breast,  and  he 
rose  to  his  feet. 

"  It  is  enough,"  he  said.     "  Let  me  go  home." 

He  advanced  gropingly  to  the  gangway  (for  it  was  now 
very  dark),  when,  in  an  instant,  every  one  of  the  electric 
lights  in  the  ship  flashed  out  at  their  fullest  brightness, 
brilliantly  illuminating  the  deck,  and  turning  night  into 
day  for  fully  a  mile  round,  and,  under  the  clear  steely  radi- 
ance thus  unexpectedly  furnished  him,  the  king  slowly 
made  his  way  to  the  ground,  mounted  his  horse  in  silence, 
and  galloped  away  at  the  head  of  his  followers.  The  illu- 
mination of  the  ship  was  maintained  until  the  cavalcade 
was  well  clear  of  the  ruins,  when  the  side-ladder  was 
drawn  up,  the  lights  extinguished,  and  M'Bongwele  was 
left  to  make  the  remainder  of  his  way  as  best  he  could  in 
the  darkness. 

"Well,"  said  the  professor  as  the  quartette  wended  their 
way  below  to  dinner,  "how  have  I  managed?" 

"  Admirably,"  answ^ered  Sir  Eeginald  and  the  colonel 
together.  "Never,  surely,"  continued  the  latter,  "was 
African  king  so  completely  overawed  in  so  short  a  time 
as  this  fellow  has  been  to-day." 

"  We  all,  and  I  especially,  owe  you  thanks,  colonel,  for 
the  sublime  sang  froid  with  which  you  stood  up  and 
allowed  yourself  to  be  made  a  target  of  to-day,"  said  von 
Schalckenberg.     "  Believe  me,  I  would  never  have  made 


HOW  IT  WAS  DONE.  293 

the  proposal  I  did  had  I  suspected  that  the  part  of  target 
would  have  been  so  cleverly  transferred  to  someone  else. 
But  the  crafty  fellow  evidently  suspected  what  you  Eng- 
lish call  'a  plant' — a  prearranged  plan — and  he  thought 
that  by  adopting  the  course  he  did  he  would  have  us  at 
advantage." 

"  Oh,"  laughed  the  colonel  scornfully,  "  that  was  a  mere 
trifle,  less  than  nothing.  I  saw  that  the  fellow  was  con- 
fident of  his  skill  as  a  marksman  and  anxious  to  show  off, 
so  I  felt  perfectly  easy  in  my  mind.  Had  it  been  one  of 
our  own  men,  now — "  an  expressive  shrug  of  the  shoulders 
finished  the  sentence. 

"Yes,"  remarked  the  baronet  reflectively,  "what  a  pity 
it  is  that  they  are  not  trained  to  individually  select  and 
aim  at  a  particular  object.  If  they  were,  no  troops  in  the 
world  could  stand  up  for  ten  minutes  before  them.  But, 
speaking  of  troops,  professor,  what  a  master-stroke  that 
was  of  yours  to  give  the  darkies  an  opportunity  of  com- 
paring their  own  soldiers  with  ours.  How  on  earth  did 
you  manage  it?" 

"  Oh,  easily  enough,"  laughed  the  professor.  "  A  magic 
lantern  and  a  couple  of  slides  did  the  whole  business. 
The  throwing  of  the  pictures  upon  the  smoke-wreath  cer- 
tainly enhanced  its  effectiveness  a  good  deal,  but  it  is 
quite  an  old  trick,  which  I  have  often  done  before  with 
excellent  results.  Everyone  who  is  going  much  among 
savaofes  ous^ht  to  include  a  lantern  and  an  assortment  of 
good  startling  slides  in  his  outfit  if  possible." 

"But  how  did  you  get  the  first  of  your  two  slides? 
That  was  surely  a  representation  of  M'Bongwele's  own 
people." 

"Certainly.     And  our  friend  Mildmay  very  cleverly 


294  A   FARCE   WORTH   THE   PLAYING. 

secured  it  with  a  camera  which  I  set  up  and  prepared  tor 
him  in  the  pilot-house.  He  only  had  to  release  a  spring 
at  the  right  moment,  and  the  thing  was  done.  He  de- 
veloped the  picture  whilst  we  were  making  our  little 
excursion  out  to  sea  and  back.  Well,  the  whole  thing 
was  a  farce;  but  I  believe  it  has  effectually  secured  us 
from  interruption  during  our  researches  among  the  ruins; 
and  if  so,  it  was  worth  playing." 


tcr 


•^?3£P' 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

KING   m'bONGWELE   TURNS   THE   TABLES   UPON   HIS 
VISITORS. 


N  reaching  his  palace  that  night  king  M'Bongwele 
dismissed  his  followers  with  but  scant  ceremony, 
and  at  once  retired  to  rest.  He  passed  a  very 
disturbed  night  of  alternate  sleeplessness  and  harassing 
fitful  dreams,  and  arose  next  morning  in  a  particularly 
bad  temper.  He  was  anxious,  annoyed,  and  uneasy  in  the 
extreme  at  the  unexpected  and  unwelcome  presence  of 
these  extraordinary  visitants  to  his  dominions — these 
spirits,  or  men,  whichever  they  happened  to  be,  wdio  had 
taken  such  pains  to  show  him  that  they  despised  his 
power,  and  were  quite  prepared  to  ride  rough-shod  over 
him  unless  he  slavishly  conformed  to  all  their  wishes; 
who  had  frightened  and  humiliated  him  in  the  presence 
of  his  immediate  followers  and  most  powerful  chiefs,  and 
entailed  upon  him  a  loss  of  prestige  which  it  would  be 
difficult  if  not  impossible  to  recover.  He  was  childishly 
jealous  of  the  slightest  interference  with  his  supreme 
authority,  and  he  fretted  and  chafed  himself  into  a  state 
of  fury  almost  bordering  upon  madness  as  he  reflected 
upon  the  veiled  menaces  to  himself  which  had  been  only 


296  m'bongwele's  gloomy  reflections. 

too  distinctly  recognizable  in  every  manifestation  of  these 
strangers'  extraordinary  power  on  the  preceding  day.  He 
recognized  that  their  deliberate  intention  had  been  to 
show  him  that  during  their  sojourn  in  his  country  he 
must  in  all  respects  conform  to  their  wishes,  and  model 
his  conduct  strictly  in  accordance  with  their  ideas  of  what 
was  right  and  proper,  or  take  the  consequences.  And 
what  were  those  consequences  likely  to  be?  Judging 
from  what  he  had  already  seen,  his  dethronement  and 
utter  humiliation  seemed  to  be  among  the  least  severe  of 
future  possibilities.  Instead  of  remaining  the  irrespon- 
sible autocrat  he  had  hitherto  been,  he  would,  during  the 
sojourn  of  these  strangers  in  his  vicinity,  be  obliged  to 
carefully  weigh  and  consider  his  every  word  and  action, 
in  order  that  he  might  neither  say  nor  do  anything  which 
could  by  any  possibility  prove  distasteful  to  them.  And 
if  this  state  of  servile,  abject,  slavish  submission  was  to 
be  his  condition  during  the  period  of  their  stay — which 
might  last  the  Great  Fetisch  himself  only  knew  how  long — 
his  life  would  not  be  worth  having,  it  would  simply  be  a 
grinding,  insupportable  burden  to  him. 

As  these  unwelcome  reflections  thronged  through  his 
mind  he  grew  so  madly  ferocious  that  he  issued  orders 
for  the  instant  execution  of  certain  white  prisoners  which 
had  fallen  into  his  hands  a  few  months  before,  counter- 
manding the  order  almost  immediately  afterwards— and, 
happily,  in  good  time — partly  because  they  were  women, 
and  he  still  hoped,  notwithstanding  present  difficulties 
and  frequent  former  failures,  to  add  them  to  his  harem; 
and  partly  because  he  was  under  the  apprehension  that, 
among  their  other  attributes,  his  mysterious  visitors 
might  possess  that  of  omniscience,  and,  getting  knowledge 


A  PUZZLING   QUESTION.  297 

of  the  execution,  object  to  and  call  him  to  account  for  it 
It  was  a  similar  consideration  alone  which  deterred  him 
from  solacing  himself  by  the  impalement  of  half  a  dozen 
or  so  of  his  principal  ministers,  the  entire  suite  having  an 
exceedingly  lively  time  of  it  that  morning,  and  being  in- 
finitely thankful  when  they  were  at  last  dismissed  with 
whole  skins. 

The  question  which  harassed  and  perplexed  M'Bong- 
wele  for  the  remainder  of  that  day  was:  could  the  visit 
of  these  extraordinary  beings  be  by  any  means  shortened 
or  terminated?  And,  if  so,  how?  Or  if  the  visit  could 
not  be  cut  short,  was  there  any  possibility  of  subjugating 
the  visitors?  This  particular  African  monarch  possessed 
at  least  one  virtue,  that  of  perseverance  under  difiiculties. 
He  was  not  at  all  the  sort  of  man  to  sit  dow^n  and  tamely 
submit  to  evils  if  he  thought  there  was  even  the  most 
remote  and  slender  possibility  of  overcoming  them.  He 
had,  on  a  previous  occasion,  encountered  certain  fair- 
skinned  men  so  similar  in  appearance,  and  in  every  other 
respect,  except  dress,  to  these  present  troublesome  visitors 
of  his  that  they  might  well  have  been  taken  for  beings 
of  the  same  race;  yet  they  had  proved  so  thoroughly 
mortal  that  he  had  had  no  difficulty  whatever  in  dispos- 
ing of  them.  True,  he  had  shot  an  arrow  at  one  of  these 
visitants  yesterday,  striking  him  fair  upon  the  breast, 
and  the  arrow,  instead  of  piercing  him  through  and 
through,  had  fallen  splintered  to  pieces  at  his  feet.  Yet 
this  very  extraordinary  incident  was  not,  to  M'Bongwele, 
wholly  conclusive  evidence  as  to  their  invulnerability. 
Lualamba  had  on  the  previous  day  made  certain  sugges- 
tive remarks  tending  to  strenothen  his  monarch's  belief 
that  if  these  persons  could  by  any  means  be  separated 


298  DRIVEN   TO   DESPERATION. 

from  the  huge  structure  which  seemed  to  be  their  home 
they  might  possibly  prove  to  be  very  ordinary  mortals 
after  all.  He  was  inclined  to  believe  that  a  great  deal, 
if  not  the  whole,  of  their  power  was  centred  in  the 
gigantic  fabric  which  they  called  a  ship.  And,  if  that 
should  indeed  prove  to  be  the  case,  all  that  they  had  done 
on  the  previous  day  could  be  done  by  anyone  into  whose 
hands  the  ship  might  happen  to  fall.  It  could  be  done 
by  him.  As  this  reflection  flashed  across  his  brain  he 
pictured  to  himself  the  immense  accession  of  power  and 
prestige  which  would  come  to  him  with  the  possession  of 
that  wonderful  structure;  of  the  conquests  it  would  en- 
able him  to  make,  and  of  the  boundless  extension  of  his 
dominions  which  it  would  enable  him  to  secure;  and  his 
eyes  flashed  and  his  bosom  heaved  with  unsuppressed 
excitement  as  he  inwardly  vowed  that  he  would  achieve 
its  possession  or  die  in  the  attempt.  All  the  conditions 
of  his  life,  he  angrily  told  himself,  had  been  violently  and 
permanently  disarranged  by  the  incidents  of  the  previous 
day;  he  had  been  publicly  threatened;  publicly  terrified 
into  a  cowardly  and  disgraceful  state  of  submission;  and 
it  was  quite  impossible  that  he  could  permanently  continue 
as  he  then  was.  He  must  fully  recover  all  his  lost  prestige 
and  add  immeasurably  to  it,  or  must  be  content  to  see 
some  ambitious  chief  rise  up  and  wrest  the  kingdom  from 
him.  These  presumptuous  strangers  had  forced  him  into 
enmity  against  them,  and  they  must  take  the  conse- 
quences. 

Lualamba  was  one  of  M'Bongwele's  most  trusted  chiefs, 
and  shortly  before  sunset  he  and  the  head  witch-doctor 
were  summoned  to  a  special  conference  with  the  king. 

Meanwhile  the  travellers,  having  enjoyed  a  most  excel- 


A   BUSY   DAY.  299 

lent  night's  rest,  rose  betimes  in  the  morning  and  pre- 
pared for  a  thorough  systematic  investigation  of  the 
ruins.  They  bathed  and  breakfasted  in  due  course,  and 
then,  armed  to  the  teeth,  set  out  upon  a  tour  of  general 
inspection,  the  professor  carrying  his  camera,  and  Sir 
Reginald  his  sketch-block  and  colour-box,  whilst  Mild- 
may  and  the  colonel,  provided  with  a  box-sextant  and  a 
light  measuring  chain,  set  themselves  the  task  of  making 
a  rough  survey  of  the  ruins  and  a  portion  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  The  tour  of  the  ruins,  the  taking  of 
an  occasional  sketch  or  photograph,  and  the  making  of 
the  survey,  kept  the  party  fully  occupied  for  the  whole  of 
the  first  day;  and  they  returned  to  the  ship  just  before  sun- 
set, tired  and  hungry,  but  thoroughly  satisfied  with  their 
day's  work,  and  fully  convinced  that  their  success  in  pene- 
trating to  this  interesting  spot  would  alone  more  than  re- 
pay them  for  all  the  trouble  and  expense  connected  with 
the  outfit  of  the  expedition.  One  important  fact  at  least 
had  been  clearly  ascertained  by  them  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  which  was,  that  the  ruins  were  extremely  ancient, their 
antiquity  being  demonstrated  by  the  circumstance  that 
during  successive  ages  the  soil  had  gradually  accumu- 
lated about  the  ruins  until  they  were  nearly  half  buried. 
The  most  interesting  discovery  made  by  them  during  the 
day  was  that  of  an  enormous  block  of  ruins,  which,  from 
its  extent  and  the  imposing  character  of  its  architecture, 
they  felt  convinced  must  have  been  a  temple  or  other 
public  building,  and  it  was  resolved  that  their  investiga- 
tions should  commence  with  it.  It  was  situated  about  a 
mile  distant  from  the  spot  occupied  by  the  Flying  Fish, 
and  their  first  intention  had  been  to  move  the  ship  some- 
what nearer;  but  an  inspection  of  the  intervening  ground 


300  m'bongwele  disposed  to  be  civil. 

had  shown  it  to  be  so  encumbered  with  ruins  that  it  was 
soon  apparent  that  she  must  be  left  where  she  was. 

A  very  large  amount  of  excavation — much  more  than 
they  could  possibly  manage  alone — would  be  necessary 
before  the  lower  portion  of  the  walls  and  the  pavement 
of  the  building  could  be  laid  bare,  and  they  decided  to  go 
over  to  M'Bongwele's  village  on  the  following  morning 
and  arrange  with  him  if  possible  for  the  hire  of  some 
fifty  or  a  hundred  men.  This,  however,  proved  to  be  un- 
necessary, for  whilst  they  were  at  breakfast  next  day  the 
sound  of  a  horn  was  heard  without,  and,  going  on  deck, 
they  discovered  Lualamba  below  in  charge  of  a  party  of 
some  twenty  w^omen  bearing  a  present  of  milk  (in  closely 
woven  grass  baskets),  eggs,  fowls,  and  fruit,  and  a  mes- 
sage from  the  king  asking  whether  his  visitors  required 
assistance  of  any  kind  in  the  pursuit  of  their  investiga- 
tions. 

"Capital!"  exclaimed  the  baronet  when  von  Schalcken- 
berg  had  translated  the  message.  "  This  is  as  it  should 
be.  Lower  the  ladder,  professor,  and  ask  Lualamba  to 
come  on  deck.  We  must  send  back  a  present  to  the  king 
in  return  for  that  which  he  has  sent  us;  and  we  can  at 
the  same  time  forward  a  message  explaining  our  wants." 

Lualamba  quickly  made  his  appearance  on  deck,  where, 
after  receiving  a  further  small  present  for  himself  and  a 
cast-oif  soldier's  coat,  battered  cocked-hat,  an  old  pair  of 
uniform  trousers,  the  seams  of  which  were  trimmed  with 
tarnished  gold  braid,  and  half  a  dozen  strings  of  beads, 
as  a  present  for  the  king,  the  wants  of  the  travellers  w^ere 
explained  to  him.  The  chief  shook  his  head;  he  feared 
it  would  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  meet  the  wishes 
of   the    illustrious   strangers   in  the  particular   manner 


A   GANG   OF   FEMALE  LABOURERS.  301 

spoken  of.  The  male  inhabitants  of  the  village  were  all 
warriors,  to  whom  work  of  any  description  would  be  an 
unspeakable  degradation.  But  he  would  see  what  could 
be  done.  If  women,  now,  would  serve  the  strangers'  pur- 
pose as  well  as  men,  the  thing  could  easily  be  arranged. 

Had  the  travellers  been  less  experienced  than  they  were 
this  suggestion  as  to  the  employment  of  women  would 
have  come  upon  them  as  a  surprise;  but  they  were  well 
aware  that  among  many  savage  races  labour  is  looked 
upon  as  degrading,  and  therefore  imposed  solely  upon  the 
women;  so  they  merely  thanked  Lualamba  for  his  pro- 
mise, and  intimated  that  women  would  serve  them 
equally  as  well  as  men.  Upon  which  Lualamba  with- 
drew, promising  that  a  gang  of  at  least  fifty  should  be 
at  the  ruined  temple — or  whatever  it  was — "  before  the 
sun  reached  the  top  of  the  sky;"  in  other  words,  before 
noon.  This  promise  was  faithfully  fulfilled,  for  at  eleven 
o'clock  the  explorers  saw  the  gang  of  labourers  come 
filing  in  among  the  ruins,  armed  with  rude  wooden  mat- 
tocks and  spades,  and  provided  with  large  baskets  in 
which  to  convey  away  the  soil  as  it  was  dug  out.  They 
were  as  unprepossessing  a  lot  of  specimens  of  female 
humanity  as  could  well  be  imagined.  Naked,  save  for  a 
filthy  ragged  skin  petticoat  round  their  waists  and  reach- 
ing to  the  knee,  their  faces  wore,  without  exception,  an 
expression  of  sullen  stupidity,  and  they  looked  as  though 
they  had  never  experienced  a  joyous  moment  in  their 
lives;  but  they  were  active  and  muscular,  and  soon 
showed  that  they  thoroughly  understood  how  to  use 
their  clumsy  tools  to  the  best  advantage.  They  were 
led  by  and  worked  under  the  directorship  of  a  lean, 
shrunken,  withered  old  gray- haired  hag  of  superlative 


302  SATISFACTORY? 

Ugliness,  who  did  no  work  herself,  but  went  constantly 
back  and  forth  along  the  line  of  workers,  bearing  in  her 
hand  a  long  thin  pliant  rattan,  which  she  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  smartly  apply  to  the  shoulders  of  those  who 
seemed  to  her  to  be  doing  less  than  their  fair  share  of 
the  work  in  hand.  This  bit  of  petty  cruelty  was,  how- 
ever, as  a  matter  of  course,  promptly  stopped  by  the  pro- 
fessor, who  thereby  won  for  himself  a  look  of  withering 
scorn  from  the  hag  aforesaid,  and  glances  of  stupid  won- 
der— in  which  in  some  cases  could  be  also  detected  faint 
traces  of  an  expression  of  gratitude — from  the  unfortu- 
nate sisterhood  who  laboured  under  her. 

The  amount  of  work  performed  was,  as  might  natu- 
rally be  expected,  nothing  approaching  to  that  which 
would  have  been  accomplished  in  the  same  time  by  the 
same  number  of  white  labourers;  indeed,  a  gang  of  half 
a  dozen  good  honest  hard-working  English  navvies  would 
have  accomplished  fully  as  much  per  diem  as  the  fifty 
women  who  laboured  among  the  ruins.  But  the  explor- 
ers were  quite  satisfied;  they  were  in  no  particular 
hurry;  the  climate  was  delightful;  M'Bongwele  was  won- 
derfully civil,  sending  large  supplies  of  provisions,  fruit, 
and  milk  to  the  ship  daily,  accompanied  by  the  most 
solicitous  inquiries  through  Lualamba  as  to  whether  all 
thinofs  were  o^oino-  well  with  his  visitors.  There  was  no 
attempt  whatever,  so  far  as  they  could  discover,  to  pry 
into  their  doings,  not  a  single  warrior,  save  Lualamba, 
having  been  seen  by  them  since  the  day  of  the  king's 
visit,  and  everything  seemed  to  be  favourable  to  a  tho- 
rough and  leisurely  execution  of  their  purpose. 

On  the  fourth  day  from  the  commencement  of  the  ex- 
cavation the  explorers  were  gratified  by  the  uncovering 


LULLED  INTO  A  FEELING  OF  SECURITY.       303 

of  a  yard  or  two  of  what  appeared  to  be  a  magnificent 
tesselated  pavement  of  white  and  variegated  marble;  and 
by  the  end  of  a  fortnight  fully  half  of  its  supposed  area 
was  exposed,  showing  it  to  be  of  an  entirely  novel  and 
exquisitely  graceful  design,  the  intricate  outline  of  the 
pattern  being  emphasized  by  the  insertion  of  plates  of 
gold  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  wide  between  the  tesserae. 
The  pavement  was  smooth,  level,  and  in  perfect  preserva- 
tion, and  the  explorers  were  in  the  very  highest  of  spirits 
at  their  exceptional  good  luck. 

At  the  outset  of  the  work  the  four  friends  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  returning  every  day  to  the  ship  for  luncheon, 
but  as  time  passed  on  they  felt  that  to  do  this  in  the 
very  hottest  part  of  the  day  was  a  wholly  unnecessary 
waste  of  energy,  and  they  accordingly  transferred  from 
the  ship  to  the  scene  of  their  operations  a  spacious  um- 
brella-tent (that  is  to  say,  a  tent  w4th  a  top  but  no  sides), 
together  with  a  small  table  and  four  chairs.  And  under 
the  shadow  of  this  tent  they  were  wont  to  partake  of  the 
mid-day  meal  (usually  a  cold  collation),  which  they  gen- 
erally finished  off  with  a  cup  of  chocolate  or  coffee  and  a 
cigar,  the  potables  being  prepared  by  a  particular  one  of 
the  women  labourers,  who  speedily  developed  quite  a 
special  aptitude  for  the  task,  and  who  at  length  fell  into 
the  habit  of  regularly  bringing  with  her,  every  day,  the 
milk  needed  for  the  purpose.  The  tent  being  pitched  on 
a  spot  which  commanded  a  full  view  of  the  operations  in 
progress,  the  quartette  gradually  acquired  the  habit  of 
lingering  somewhat  over  their  luncheon,  and  especially 
over  the  final  coffee  and  cigar,  the  inevitable  result  of 
which  was  that,  for  the  next  hour  or  two,  they  experi- 
enced a  feeling  of  delicious  languor  and  drowsiness,  and 


304  treachery! 

an  almost  unconquerable  disinclination  to  exchange  the 
grateful  shade  of  the  tent  for  the  scorching  heat  of  the 
afternoon  sun.  At  first  they  struggled  resolutely  and 
manfully  against  this  overpowering  temptation  to  idle- 
ness; but  finding,  or  fancying,  that  they  could  supervise 
the  work  as  efficiently  from  the  tent  as  they  could  at  a 
yard  or  two  from  its  shelter,  they  gradually  gave  up  the 
struggle,  yielding  day  after  day  more  completely  to  the 
seductive  feelino^  of  lassitude  which  seemed  to  have  laid 
hold  upon  them. 

Finally,  one  hot  afternoon,  overcome  by  the  drowsy 
influence  of  the  warm  perfumed  air  which  played  about 
their  languid  bodies,  they  all  fell  asleep. 

Unknown  to  and  wholly  unsuspected  by  them,  the  old 
crone  who  was  in  charge  of  the  gang  of  female  labourers 
had,  for  some  days  past,  been  keeping  a  sharply  watchful 
eye  upon  the  investigators,  and  upon  the  day  in  question 
she  had  been,  if  possible,  more  sharply  watchful  than 
ever.  So  interested  in  them  did  she  at  last  become  that, 
turning  her  back  upon  the  women  and  leaving  them  to 
work  or  not  as  they  saw  fit,  she  advanced  until  she 
entered  the  shadow  of  the  tent,  where  she  paused,  eagerly 
scanning  the  features  of  the  slumberers.  For  some  ten 
minutes  or  so  she  stood  motionless  as  a  statue,  her 
sunken  glittering  eyes  turning  from  one  placid  face  to 
the  other;  then  she  stepped  to  the  baronet's  side  and, 
seizing  him  by  the  shoulder,  shook  him  sharply.  The 
sleeper  might  have  been  dead  for  all  the  consciousness 
which  he  exhibited  at  her  rude  touch.  Another  and 
more  violent  shake  proved  equally  unproductive  of  re- 
sults.    Then  she  passed  on  to  the  colonel,  to  Mildmay, 


IN  THE   HANDS   OF  THE   SAVAGE.  305 

and  to  the  professor,  experimenting  in  like  manner  with 
each.  If  she  wished  to  arouse  them,  her  efforts  were  use- 
less; they  were,  one  and  all,  locked  fast  in  the  embrace 
of  sleep — profound,  unnatural,  death-like  sleep.  A  scorn- 
ful laugh  grated  harshly  from  her  lips,  and,  wheeling 
sharply  upon  her  heel,  she  rejoined  the  gang  of  excava- 
tors, exclaiming: 

*' Cease  this  useless  labour;  there  is  no  further  need 
of  it.  The  witch-potion  has  done  its .  work,  and  you 
may  all  return  to  the  village.  I  go  to  summon  the 
warriors." 

The  women,  without  further  ado,  gathered  up  their 
tools  and  baskets,  and,  breaking  into  a  low  monotonous 
song,  to  which  their  feet  kept  time,  took  the  trail  leading 
to  the  village,  and  soon  disappeared  among  the  scattered 
ruins  and  the  bush  which  clustered  thickly  about  them. 

Ten  minutes  later  a  band  of  dusky  warriors,  fully 
armed  and  numbering  about  a  hundred,  made  their  ap- 
pearance, and,  led  by  Lualamba,  advanced  to  the  tent, 
which  they  surrounded.  Four  grass  hammocks,  each  of 
which  w^as  stretched  between  two  long  bamboo  poles, 
were  then  brought  forward,  and,  by  the  directions  of  the 
chief,  the  unconscious  white  men  were  carefully  lifted 
from  their  seats  and  deposited  at  full  length  in  them. 
The  tent  was  then  struck,  and,  with  its  simple  furniture, 
taken  in  charge  by  certain  members  of  the  band  told  off 
for  the  purpose,  when  each  of  the  hammocks,  with  its 
sleeping  burden,  was  carefully  raised  from  the  ground 
and  shouldered  by  four  savages,  and,  the  remainder  of 
the  warriors  forming  round  them  as  an  escort,  the  band 
took  the  trail  to  the  village,  and  marched  rapidly  away. 

On  reaching  their  destination  the  prisoners  (for  such 

(359)  U 


306  UNDER   A   STRONG   GUARD. 

they  evidently  were)  were  carried  to  a  new  hut,  which 
had  all  the  appearance  of  having  been  specially  con- 
structed for  them,  and,  once  inside,  the  poles  of  the  ham- 
mocks were  carefully  laid  in  the  forked  ends  of  upright 
posts,  firmly  fixed  in  the  ground,  the  whole  forming  a 
sufficiently  comfortable  bed.  Four  young  women  then 
entered  the  building,  and,  taking  their  places,  one  at  the 
head  of  each  sleeper,  proceeded,  with  the  aid  of  large 
feather  fans,  to  protect  their  helpless  charges  from  the 
attacks  of  the  mosquitoes  and  other  insect  torments  with 
which  the  village  swarmed;  when  the  hammock-bearers 
filed  out,  and  the  white  men  were  left  to  sleep  off,  undis- 
turbed, the  effects  of  the  potent  drug  which  had  been 
artfully  mingled  w^th  the  milk  with  which  their  coffee 
had  that  day  been  prepared. 

The  hut  in  which  our  four  friends  were  thus  left  had 
been  erected  in  a  spacious  palisaded  quadrangle  which 
surrounded  the  king  s  palace,  so  that  M'Bongwele  might, 
as  it  were,  always  have  them  under  his  own  eye;  and  the 
fact  that,  having  got  them  into  his  power,  the  king  was 
determined,  if  possible,  to  keep  them  there,  was  made 
manifest  by  the  presence  of  a  strong  cordon  of  guards, 
who,  on  the  passage  of  the  prisoners  within  the  portal, 
immediately  ranged  themselves  round  the  hut  outside. 
The  hut  was  only  some  twelve  feet  square,  and  entirely 
open  at  one  end,  the  open  end  being,  however,  protected 
from  the  sun  by  a  continuation  of  the  roof  in  the  form 
of  a  broad  verandah  supported  at  the  eaves  upon  two 
stout  verandah-posts ;  and  round  this  diminutive  structure 
were  ranged  twenty  picked  men,  facing  inward,  fully 
armed  with  bow,  spear,  and  shield;  it  was  pretty  evident, 
therefore,   that,  unless  the   prisoners  had  the  power  to 


FRIGHTENED   AT   HIS   OWN   SUCCESS.  307 

render  themselves  invisible,  or  of  paralysing  their  guards, 
there  was  little  probability  of  their  effecting  their  escape. 

The.  posting  of  the  guard  having  been  effected  to 
Lualamba  s  satisfaction,  he  entered  the  palace  to  make 
his  report  to  the  king,  who  was  anxiously  expecting  him. 
M'Bongwele  listened  attentively  to  all  the  details  of  the 
capture,  and,  upon  its  completion,  rose  and,  accompanied 
by  the  chief,  made  his  way  to  the  hut,  which  he  cautiously 
entered,  placing  himself  at  the  foot  of  each  hammock  in 
succession,  and  long  and  anxiously  regarding  the  coun- 
tenances of  the  sleepers.  He  had  been  successful  in  his 
bold  enterprise  beyond  his  most  sanguine  hopes;  but  it 
w^as  evident  that  even  in  the  very  moment  of  his  triumph 
he  was  anxious  and  disturbed  in  his  mind.  He  trembled 
at  the  audacity  which  had  led  him  to  pit  himself  against 
these  extraordinary  beings,  and  the  very  ease  with  which 
he  had  accomplished  his  purpose  frightened  him.  Had 
these  men — if  men  they  were — been  encountered  and 
overcome  awake,  and  in  the  full  possession  of  their  senses, 
he  would  have  been  happy,  for  he  would  then  have  felt 
that  his  own  power  was  superior  to  theirs.  But  they  had 
been  surprised  whilst  under  the  influence  of  a  subtle  and 
potent  drug  prepared  by  the  chief  witch-doctor;  and  when 
they  awoke  and  discovered  what  had  been  done  to  them, 
what  might  not  the  consequence  be  ?  But  what  was  done 
was  done;  he  had  now  gone  too  far  to  retreat;  besides 
w^hich,  his  ambition  overmastered  his  fears,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  go  on  and  risk  the  consequences. 

Having  obtained  possession  of  the  persons  of  these 
formidable  beings,  obviously  the  next  thing  would  be  to 
secure  that  wonderful  thing  which  they  called  a  "ship;" 
and  this  M'Bongwele  determined  to  do  at  once:  who  knew 


308    m'bongwele  resolves  to  seize  the  '' flying  fish." 

but  that  its  possession  might  give  him  a  much-needed 
and  decisive  power  over  its  former  owners?  He  accord- 
ingly retired  from  the  prison  hut,  and  gave  orders  for  the 
immediate  assembling  of  all  his  available  cavalry;  at  the 
head  of  which  he  soon  dashed  off  in  the  direction  of  the 
ruins,  leaving  Lualamba  in  charge  of  the  guard  and  of 
the  prisoners,  a  position  of  responsibility  which  that  chief 
by  no  means  coveted,  and  which  he  accepted  with  much 
inward  perturbation. 

Proceeding  at  a  gallop,  the  impatient  M'Bongwele  and 
his  troopers  soon  reached  the  Flying  Fish,  which  they 
immediately  surrounded.  The  king  then  dismounting, 
and  summoning  some  fifty  of  his  most  famous  braves  to 
follow  him,  cautiously  approached  the  ship,  with  the  pur- 
pose of  boarding  her.  But  the  rope-ladder,  by  means  of 
which  he  had  on  a  former  occasion  accomplished  this  feat, 
was  no  longer  there;  and,  as  he  glanced  upward  at  the 
gleaming  cylindrical  sides  of  the  towering  structure,  it 
began  to  dawn  upon  him  that  the  task  he  had  under- 
taken was,  after  all,  not  without  its  difficulties.  Pre- 
sently, however,  a  brilliant  idea  occurred  to  him,  and, 
selecting  a  dozen  men,  he  gave  them  certain  orders  which 
sent  them  scurrying  off  at  a  gallop.  Half  an  hour  later 
they  returned,  dragging  behind  them  two  long  stout 
bamboos  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  tough  pliant 
"monkey-rope"  or  creeper.  With  these  materials  the 
men,  under  M'Bongwele's  instructions,  proceeded  to  con- 
struct a  ladder,  which,  when  completed,  they  reared 
against  the  side  of  the  ship;  and  by  this  means  the  king 
and  his  fifty  chosen  warriors  ascended  and  triumphantly 
reached  the  deck. 

M'Bongwele  now  regarded  himself  as  completely  sue- 


NOT  AN   UNQUALIFIED  SUCCESS.  309 

cessful;  he  had  gained  possession  of  the  wonderful  struc- 
ture; and  all  that  remained  was  to  make  use  of  it  in  a 
similar  manner  to  that  of  its  former  owners.  He  accord- 
ingly advanced  pompously  to  the  gangway,  and  ordered 
his  troopers  to  first  remove  the  ladder  from  the  ships 
side,  and  then  return  to  the  village  with  all  speed,  adding 
exultantly  that  he  and  those  with  him  on  the  "flying 
horse's  back"  would  be  there  long  before  them. 

Resolved  to  give  the  cavalcade  a  good  start,  he  watched 
it  disappear  in  a  cloud  of  dust  among  the  ruins,  and  then, 
assuming  his  most  commanding  attitude  and  manner, 
raised  his  right  hand  aloft  and  exclaimed: 

"  We  will  now  return  throuo-h  the  air  to  the  villaore — 
keeping  as  close  to  the  ground  as  possible,"  he  added  with 
some  trepidation  as  he  nervously  grasped  the  guard  rail 
in  anticipation  of  the  expected  movement. 

The  ship,  however,  remained  motionless.  Something 
was  evidently  wrong,  but  what  it  might  be  he  could  not 
imagine;  surely  he  had  not  forgotten  or  misunderstood 
the  formula  as  stated  to  him  by  Lualamba?  He  now 
most  heartily  wished  that  he  had  brought  that  trusty 
chief  with  him,  and  so  provided  against  all  possibility  of 
error;  however,  the  omission  could  not  be  helped,  and  he 
would  try  again,  adopting  a  somewhat  diflerent  form  of 
words.  This  time  he  stamped  rather  impatiently  on  the 
deck,  exclaiming: 

"Take  us  back  to  the  village,  good  flying  horse,  but 
gently,  and  not  very  far  above  the  ground." 

Still  no  movement.  The  king  began  to  look  puzzled, 
and  to  feel  as  vexed  as  he  dared,  with  the  consciousness 
weighing  heavily  upon  him  that  he  was  playing  with 
frightfully  keen  edged  tools.     He  did  not  know  what  to 


310  THE   KING   GIVES   WAY   TO   ANGER. 

make  of  this  persistent  immobility;  it  was  uncanny, 
sinister,  portentous,  almost  appalling.  He  would  try 
again.  He  did  try  again,  not  once  but  nearly  a  dozen 
times,  varying  the  form  of  words,  more  or  less,  every 
time;  and,  of  course,  with  the  same  ill  success.  At  length, 
in  chagrin  and  disgust,  he  gave  up  the  attempt  to  move 
the  ship,  and  turned  his  attention  to  an  examination  of 
her  interior.  He  advanced  to  the  pilot-house,  compla- 
cently reflecting  that  here,  at  least,  he  could  not  possibly 
be  beaten;  he  had  only  to  walk  up  to  the  door  and  enter. 
But  here,  again,  surprise  and  confusion  awaited  him ;  for, 
after  twice  making  the  circuit  of  the  building,  he  was 
unable  to  find  a  door;  there  was  no  perceptible  entrance 
anywhere  excepting  the  circular  windows,  which,  how- 
ever, were  all  open.  Summoning  his  followers  to  his 
assistance,  he  made  them  give  him  a  "back;"  and,  scram- 
bling up  on  their  shoulders,  he  at  length  contrived  to 
raise  himself  to  the  level  of  these  openings  and  to  look  in. 
He  saw  a  great  many  levers,  and  knobs,  and  buttons,  and 
short  lengths  of  insulated  wire;  in  fact,  he  got  a  glimpse 
of  pretty  nearly  all  the  apparatus  contained  in  the  pilot- 
house; but  that  did  not  help  him  in  the  least,  for  he  had 
not  the  most  remote  idea  of  what  all  these  things  were 
for;  and  when  he  essayed  an  entrance  by  one  of  the  win- 
dows he  was  again  foiled;  it  was  much  too  small.  At 
length,  after  a  great  deal  of  ineff*ectual  wriggling  and 
struggling — which  occasioned  serious  inconvenience  and 
anxiety  to  the  human  supports  who  were  with  the  utmost 
difiiculty  maintaining  a  state  of  very  unstable  equilibrium 
beneath  his  feet — his  patience  completely  failed  him,  and, 
in  a  fit  of  childish  anger  and  spite,  he  sent  a  series  of 
truly  blood-curdling  yells  echoing  into  the  interior  of  the 


IMPRISONED   BY   HIS   OWN   ACT.  311 

pilot-house.  These  cries  were  of  course  distinctly  heard 
by  George  and  the  chef,  but  (acting  upon  a  concise  code 
of  instructions  furnished  to  them  when  they  were  first 
engaged  for  the  voyage,  and  which  provided  for  almost 
every  conceivable  emergency),  neither  of  these  individuals 
condescended  to  take  any  notice  of  them.  Having  thus 
given  vent  to  a  portion  of  his  spleen,  king  M'Bongwele, 
paying  but  scanty  attention  to  the  comfort  or  dignity  of 
his  supporters,  scrambled  down  from  his  elevated  position 
to  the  deck,  and  sat  down  to  reflect  upon  the  next  steps 
to  be  taken.  He  would  gladly  now  have  left  the  ship 
and  made  the  best  of  his  way  back  to  the  village,  even 
though  the  journey  would  have  had  to  be  performed  on 
foot;  but  the  ladder  had,  by  his  own  command,  been  re- 
moved, and  his  retreat  was  thus  effectually  cut  off,  a  drop 
of  about  forty  feet  from  the  bottom  of  the  metal  accom- 
modation ladder  to  the  ground  being  a  something  not  to 
be  thought  of. 


•oc 


CHAPTER  XX. 


THE   HISTORY   OF   CERTAIN    DISTRESSED   DAMSELS. 


B""Wg|E  AN  WHILE  Seketulo,  the  chief  in  command  of 
&J|^B  king  M'Bongwele's  household  cavalry,  returned 
IT  ^lyil  j^Q  ^\^Q  village  in  due  course,  and  lost  no  time  in 
dismissing  his  men,  chuckling  to  himself  as  he  reflected 
that,  after  all,  he  had  beaten  his  monarch  in  the  race 
homeward. 

Time  passed  on;  the  sun  set;  the  evanescent  twilight 
faded  out  of  the  sky;  the  stars  twinkled  forth  in  all  the 
mellow  radiance  characteristic  of  the  tropics;  and  still 
the  adventurous  M'Bongwele  and  his  wondrous  prize 
came  not.  Hour  after  hour  lagged  slowly  away;  and  at 
length  the  expectant  villagers,  who  had  poured  into  the 
open  air  to  witness  the  triumphant  arrival  of  the  king, 
returned  to  their  huts — their  transient  enthusiasm  over- 
come by  their  habitual  apathy  and  indolence — and  sur- 
rendered themselves  willingly  enough  to  the  blandish- 
ments of  sleep.  All,  with  the  exception,  that  is  to  say, 
of  the  guard  detailed  to  watch  over  the  prisoners,  the 
anxious  Lualamba,  and  Seketulo.  These  were  all  wakeful 
enough,  the  latter  perhaps  even  more  so  than  any  of  the 
others.  For,  as  the  night  waxed  and  the  great  full  moon 
rolled  slowly  upward  into  the  sky,  the  powerful  chief, 


THK  MEDITATIONS   OF  AN   AMBITIOUS   CHIEF.  313 

who  had  won  for  himself  the  envied  position  of  com- 
mander of  the  king's  cavalry  (a  position  equivalent  to 
that  of  commander-in-chief  of  the  whole  army),  felt  the 
hope  growing  within  him  that  the  foolhardy  king  and 
those  with  him  had  been  carried  off  to  the  nether  regions 
for  a  permanency  by  the  wondrous  Thing  of  which  they 
had  so  audaciously  sought  to  secure  the  possession.  And 
in  that  case  (M'Bongwele  being  without  sons,  and  having, 
in  order  to  avoid  possible  future  complications,  carefully 
slaughtered  all  his  brothers  and  other  relations  on  his 
accession  to  the  throne)  there  would  be  a  vacancy  in 
that  particular  country  for  a  king,  which  vacancy  Seke- 
tulo  believed  himself  powerful  enough  to  secure  and  fill. 

Giving  free  rein  to  these  ambitious  ideas  and  aspira- 
tions, the  chief  paced  thoughtfully  to  and  fro  in  a  retired 
corner  of  the  village  until  about  ten  o'clock  that  night, 
when  his  impatience  could  no  longer  be  curbed,  and  he 
felt  that  he  must  sally  forth  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  the 
fate  of  M'Bongwele  and  his  party.  Accordingly,  mount- 
ing his  horse,  he  took  his  way  out  of  the  village,  passing 
through  the  principal  gateway,  and  heading  for  the  ruins 
at  a  gallop.  He  was  greatly  disconcerted,  on  reaching  his 
destination,  to  discover  that  the  Flying  Fish  still  peace- 
fully reposed  in  her  usual  berth;  and  his  disgust  was 
supreme  when  he  further  noticed,  crouched  on  her  lofty 
deck,  a  disconsolate-looking  group,  which  his  fears  only 
too  truly  assured  him  must  be  the  king  and  his  com- 
panions. His  first  impulse  was  to  retire  and  leave  them 
to  their  merited  fate;  but  the  unwelcome  reflection  sug- 
gesting itself  to  him  that  they  might  possibly  be  discov- 
ered and  rescued  in  the  morning,  he  altered  his  purpose, 
and,  making  a  virtue  of  what  was  almost  a  necessity, 


314  ANOTHER  ABORTIVE   SCHEME. 

advanced  with  the  intention  of  proffering  a  respectful  in- 
quiry as  to  whether  any  unfortunate  accident  had  delayed 
the  royal  return.  He  was,  however,  forestalled  by  the 
king  and  his  party,  who,  the  instant  they  saw  him,  hailed 
his  appearance  with  joyous  shouts  and  an  almost  piteous 
entreaty  to  him  to  replace  the  ladder.  This  he,  still  mak- 
ing a  virtue  of  necessity,  at  once  attempted  to  do;  but 
the  clumsy  construction  proved  too  much  for  his  strength. 
A  happy  idea,  however,  now  flashed  through  the  mind  of 
one  of  the  party;  and,  unstringing  their  bows,  they  joined 
the  strings  together  into  one  continuous  line,  which, 
luckily  for  them,  reached  the  ground;  and  Seketulo 
bending  the  lower  end  on  to  the  ladder,  the  latter  was 
soon,  by  the  exertions  of  all  hands,  reared  into  position. 
The  party,  thoroughly  crestfallen,  now  lost  no  time  in 
making  their  way  to  the  ground,  when  M'Bongwele  at 
once  requisitioned  Seketulo's  horse,  and  galloped  off 
homeward  at  top  speed,  the  chief  and  the  rest  of  the 
party  being  left  to  plod  back  to  the  village  at  their  lei- 
sure and  as  best  they  could. 

Notw^ithstanding  this  most  dismal  failure,  M'Bongwele 
still  entertained  hopes  of  being  able  to  possess  himself  of 
the  coveted  ship;  and  early  next  morning  every  avail- 
able man  and  woman  was  marched  to  the  scene  of  the 
preceding  day's  discomfiture  to  attempt  the  task  of  car- 
rying the  Flying  Fish  to  the  village!  This  attempt,  it  is 
scarcely  necessary  to  say,  also  resulted  in  complete  failure, 
and  with  this  failure  king  M'Bongwele  was  at  last  com- 
pelled to  recognize  himself  as  beaten.  It  became  clear 
to  him  that  the  mysterious  beings  whose  persons  he  had 
so  rashly  seized  possessed  certain  peculiar  and  wonderful 
powers;  and  the  only  course  now  open  to  him  seemed  to 


SKETULO   STILL   HOPEFUL.  315 

be  to  make  the  best  terms  he  could  with  them  for  their 
co-operation  in  the  furtherance  of  his  schemes.  And  he 
felt  heartily  glad — pluming  himself  at  the  same  time 
upon  his  prudence — that  he  had  not  taken  advantage  of 
their  seemingly  helpless  condition,  when  brought  to  the 
village,  to  attempt  the  putting  of  a  period  to  their 
existence. 

Meanwhile,  Seketulo,  though  greatly  chagrined  at  the 
turn  of  affairs,  by  no  means  abandoned  hope.  He  felt 
that  though  disappointment  had  for  once  overtaken  him, 
it  by  no  means  followed  that  such  would  always  be  the 
case;  and  if  his  ambitious  dreams  could  not  be  realized 
in  one  way,  they  still  might  be  in  another.  The  king, 
unfortunately,  had  not  been  carried  off  to  perdition;  but, 
figuratively  Bpeaking,  that  seemed  to  be  his  ultimate  and 
speedy  destination.  For,  had  he  not  pitted  his  own 
power  against  that  of  the  mysterious  strangers,  and  lost 
the  game?  He  had  inflicted  a  most  grievous  outrage 
upon  them,  and  had  ineflectually  attempted  to  seize  their 
wonderful  ship;  yet  not  a  particle  of  gain  or  advantage 
of  any  description  had  been  secured,  and  the  wrath  of 
these  strangers  had  yet  to  be  faced;  the  penalty  of  his 
audacious  deeds  had  yet  to  be  paid.  Did  not  all  this 
point  to  M'Bongwele's  speedy  downfall?  And  if  such  a 
state  of  things  should  happily  be  in  the  near  future, 
would  it  not  be  worth  his  (Seketulo's)  while  to  approach 
the  strangers  in  a  friendly  spirit  and  (after  cautiously 
feeling  his  way)  with  oflfers  of  assistance?  He  decided 
that  it  undoubtedly  would,  and  that  he  would  forthwith 
adopt  that  line  of  policy,  cautiously,  yet  without  losing 
a  single  favourable  opportunity. 

So  far  as  M'Bonojwele  was  concerned,  he  found  himself 


316       m'bongwele  environed  with  difficulties. 

in  a  greater  strait  than  ever.  He  had  not  only  failed 
completely  in  his  ambitious  schemes,  but  he  had  also 
lost  prestige  with  his  own  people  and  had  made  enemies 
of  the  strangers.  His  situation  was  distinctly  worse 
than  if  he  had  done  nothing  at  all;  and  how  to  make 
his  way  out  of  the  imbroglio  he  knew  not,  nor  could  any 
of  his  ministers  advise  anything.  He  now  fervently 
wished  he  had  adopted  other  and  more  friendly  measures 
with  his  visitors;  but  it  was  too  late;  he  fully  recognized 
that,  with  the  odium  of  failure  fresh  upon  him,  any 
attempt  at  conciliation  would  be  utterly  hopeless;  the 
only  course  still  open  to  him  appearing  to  be  that  of 
"masterly  inactivity."  This  would,  at  all  events,  leave 
time  for  events  to  shape  themselves,  and  afford  him  an 
opportunity  of  regulating  his  conduct  in  accordance 
therewith;  and  this  course  he  accordingly  determined  to 
pursue;  at  the  same  time  issuing  the  most  imperative 
orders  that  the  prisoners  were  to  be  treated  with  the 
utmost  courtesy  and  consideration  consistent  with  their 
safe-keeping. 

In  accordance  with  these  orders,  the  prisoners  found 
that,  after  the  second  day  of  their  seizure,  they  had  very 
little  of  which  to  complain  beyond  the  actual  loss  of  their 
liberty.  They  were  abundantly  supplied  with  provisions 
of  all  kinds  within  the  resources  of  the  village ;  the  four 
young  women  originally  detailed  to  watch  over  them 
during  their  drugged  slumber  were  permanently  ap- 
pointed to  attend  upon  them,  do  their  cooking,  keep  their 
hut  clean,  and  so  on;  and  they  were  allowed  to  take 
unrestricted  exercise  within  the  bounds  of  the  compound. 
Their  attendants  and  guards  were  allowed  to  answer  any 
questions  except  such  as   related   to  the  king's  recent 


A  FORTUITOUS   INCIDENT.  317 

attempt  to  possess  himself  of  their  property;  and  hints 
were  freely  offered  to  the  effect  that  M'Bongwele  was 
most  anxious  to  secure  their  friendship,  and  would  gladly 
afford  them  an  audience  whenever  they  might  desire  it. 
But  they  had  no  intention  whatever  of  seeking  an 
audience  with  the  king;  they  had  a  very  shrewd  sus- 
picion of  what  had  actually  taken  place;  and  having  by 
this  time  formed  a  tolerably  accurate  estimate  of  the 
royal  character,  they  felt  convinced  that  their  only  chance 
of  advantageously  dealing  with  M'Bongwele  lay  in 
forcing  upon  him  the  character  of  a  suitor  to  them. 

Thus  matters  stood  for  nearly  a  fortnight  from  the 
date  of  their  seizure — Seketulo  doing  his  best  to  effec- 
tually ingratiate  himself  in  the  strangers'  favour  before 
venturing  to  tender  his  proposed  offer  of  assistance;  and 
M'Bongwele  waiting  with  daily  growing  impatience  for 
overtures  from  his  prisoners — when  an  event  occurred 
which,  simple  though  it  seemed  at  the  moment,  was 
destined  to  have  an  important  bearing  on  the  fortunes  of 
certain  other  white  prisoners  then  in  the  king's  power. 

It  happened  thus.  The  quartette  were  sitting  under 
the  verandah  of  their  hut  one  morning,  whiffing  away 
the  very  last  remains  of  their  carefully  hoarded  stock  of 
tobacco,  when  a  soft  thud,  followed  by  a  low  startled 
cry  of  pain  and  terror  from  one  of  their  female  attend- 
ants caused  them  to  glance  hastily  round.  The  sight 
which  then  met  their  eyes  was  startling  enough  to  make 
them  spring  instantly  to  their  feet.  A  snake  fully  seven 
feet  long,  and  of  the  most  deadly  venomous  kind  (which 
had  evidently  just  dropped  out  of  the  thatch  of  the  hut), 
had  flung  its  coils  round  the  bare  leg  of  one  of  the 
women,  and,  before  help  could  be  rendered,  had  struck 


318  PROMPT   SURGICAL   MEASURES. 

its  fangs  deep  into  the  flesh.  The  cruel  heart-shaped 
head,  with  its  wicked  eyes  glowing  like  a  couple  of  car- 
buncles, was  already  drawn  back  to  repeat  the  stroke 
when  Lethbridge  sprang  forward,  and,  seizing  a  small 
pliant  rattan  which  happened  to  be  handy  at  the  moment, 
dealt  the  reptile  a  swift  downward  cut  across  the  body, 
dividing  the  creature  almost  in  two;  following  up  the 
blow  by  a  rapid  dart  of  his  hand,  grasping  the  reptile 
by  the  neck  and  tearing  the  quivering  coils  away  from 
the  wounded  limb.  Another  second,  and  the  head  was 
being  fiercely  ground  into  the  dust  under  the  thick  solid 
leather  of  his  boot-heel,  the  wounded  body  twisting  and 
writhing  in  the  most  horrible  contortions  meanwhile. 

Two  out  of  Lethbridge's  three  companions  stood  help- 
lessly aghast  whilst  this  tragedy  was  in  progress;  but  the 
professor,  ever  alert  in  the  interests  of  science,  promptly 
compelled  the  wounded  girl  to  lie  down,  and  instantly 
applied  his  lips  to  the  wound  made  by  the  poisonous  fangs 
of  the  snake,  sucking  vigorously  until  he  had  induced  as 
copious  a  flow  of  blood  as  could  reasonably  be  expected 
from  the  two  tiny  punctures.  Then,  fumbling  in  his 
waistcoat  pocket,  he  drew  forth  a  small  stick  of  lunar 
caustic  (with  which  he  had  some  time  previously  pro- 
vided himself  in  anticipation  of  possible  snake-bites)  and 
eflectually  cauterized  the  wound.  The  result  of  which 
prompt  treatment  was  that  the  girl,  after  enduring  some 
three  hours'  slioiit  sufferins:  and  inconvenience  from  the 
pain  and  subsequent  swelling  of  the  wound,  recovered, 
and  in  a  day  or  two  was  as  well  again  as  ever. 

This  incident  was,  as  might  be  expected,  much  talked 
about  in  the  village,  and  it  very  soon  reached  M'Bong- 
wele's  ears.      That  monarch  happened,  just  then,  to  be 


COMPLICATIONS   IN   THE   ROYAL  PALACE.  319 

plunged  into  a  state  of  serious  domestic  affliction;  and, 
inspired  by  the  above  occurrence  with  a  brilliant  idea,  he, 
after  much  painful  cogitation,  resolved  to  seek  the  aid 
of  his  prisoners.  Briefly  stated,  the  difficulty  was  this. 
His  youngest  and  favourite  wife  had  just  added  another 
to  his  already  too  numerous  family  of  daughters,  thus 
disgusting  and  seriously  disappointing  the  king,  who  had 
confidently  looked  forward  to  being  this  time  blessed 
with  a  son.  This  was  by  no  means  the  first  disappoint- 
ment of  the  kind  that  the  monarch  had  been  called  upon 
to  endure;  and  it  had  been  his  wont,  on  such  occasions, 
to  banish  the  ofiending  wife  from  his  presence,  replacing 
her  with  a  new  one.  He  proposed  to  follow  the  same 
rule  upon  the  present  occasion;  and  the  only  difficulty 
which  lay  in  his  way  consisted  in  suitably  filling  up  the 
vacancy.  There  were,  of  course,  hundreds  of  sable 
damsels  within  the  limits  of  his  dominions  who  would 
gladly  have  accepted  the  responsibilities  of  the  position, 
but  that  would  no  longer  suit  king  M'Bongwele;  the 
women  of  his  own  race  had,  one  and  all,  so  far  as  he  had 
tried  them,  failed  disgracefully  in  their  duty  of  provid- 
ing him  with  an  heir,  and  he  was  now  determined  to 
try  elsewhere  He  happened  to  have  in  his  possession, 
as  prisoners,  four  white  women,  one  of  whom  was  some- 
what elderly,  whilst  the  remaining  three  were  young, 
and,  though  by  no  means  sufficiently  embonpoint  to  be 
strictly  handsome,  from  an  African  savage's  point  of 
view,  still  attractive  enough  to  justify  his  choice  of  either 
of  them  as  a  wife.  The  difficulty  with  these  women  was 
that  they  were  unfortunately  all  insane — a  circumstance 
which  (in  accordance  with  one  of  the  many  superstitious 
beliefs  of  the  natives,  and  quite  apart  from  the  equally 


320  m'bongwele  seeks  aid. 

important  objection  of  consequent  unsuitability)  effec- 
tually precluded  any  resort  to  threats  or  compulsion  for 
enabling  the  king  to  carry  out  his  plans.  And  it  was 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  these  unfortunate  creatures' 
restoration  to  reason  that  M'Bongwele  now  resolved  to 
invoke  the  potent  aid  of  his  new  prisoners.  When 
making  up  his  mind  to  this  course  he  was  at  first  greatly 
puzzled  as  to  how  he  should  approach  the  individuals  he 
had  so  basely  betrayed,  and  how  explain  and  excuse  his 
conduct;  but  at  last  the  happy  idea  suggested  itself  of 
ignoring  his  ill-behaviour  altogether;  and  acting  upon 
this,  and  without  giving  himself  time  for  further  con- 
sideration, he  hurried  off  to  the  hut  and  presented  himself 
before  his  prisoners. 

Seating  himself  jauntily  upon  one  of  the  bedsteads,  he 
opened  the  negotiations  by  explaining  that  he  had  come 
to  express  his  admiration  of,  and  his  thanks  for,  the 
wonderful  manner  in  which  the  woman  had  been  saved 
from  the  deadly  effects  of  the  snake-bite ;  and  then,  with- 
out affording  an  opportunity  for  interruption,  he  went  on 
to  state,  in  full  detail,  his  further  business. 

The  indignation  excited  in  the  breasts  of  his  listeners 
by  the  cool  impudence  of  the  king  soon  subsided  under 
the  influence  of  the  interesting  news  that  four  white 
women  were  captives  in  the  village;  and  when  M'Bong- 
wele closed  his  explanation  and  proffered  his  request,  the 
professor,  instead  of  loading  his  captor  with  reproaches, 
followed  the  latter's  example  of  ignoring  all  cause  for 
unpleasantness,  and  simply  stated  that  no  promise  of  any 
kind  could  be  made  until  the  four  friends  had  been 
afforded  an  interview  with  the  afflicted  women.  To  this 
proposition  the  king  eagerly  assented,  overjoyed  at  so 


AN   IMPORTANT  VISIT.  321 

unexpected  a  measure  of  success,  indeed  he  volunteered 
to  personally  conduct  the  quartette  into  the  presence  of 
his  female  prisoners;  but  this  was  promptly  negatived, 
the  professor  declaring  that  if  he  and  his  friends  went  to 
see  the  women  at  all  they  must  go  entirely  unattended, 
and  at  such  time  as  might  be  most  convenient  to  them 
selves.  It  would  have  suited  M'Bongwele  very  much 
better  to  have  been  present  at  this  interview,  for  he  was 
suspicious  to  a  really  absurd  degree;  but,  finding  the 
white  men  firm  upon  this  point,  and,  apparently,  wholly 
indififerent  in  the  matter,  and  being  also  unable  to  dis- 
cover any  cause  for  suspicion  in  their  conduct,  he  at  length 
yielded  his  assent  and  retired,  giving  the  necessary  in- 
structions to  the  guard  as  he  passed  out  of  the  hut. 

The  next  morning,  about  eleven  o'clock,  having  pre- 
viously talked  this  curious  matter  carefully  over  together, 
they  paid  their  promised  visit;  the  women's  prison  (to 
which  they  were  carefully  escorted  by  their  entire  guard) 
being  situated  close  to  the  principal  opening  in  the  pali- 
sading which  surrounded  the  village;  the  same  guard 
being  apparently  made  to  serve  for  both  the  prison  and 
the  gateway.  The  building  was  an  almost  exact  fac- 
simile of  their  own  place  of  confinement,  both  in  shape 
and  dimensions;  but  at  the  very  threshold  the  visitors 
encountered  evidences  of  female  delicacy  and  refinement 
in  the  shape  of  finely  woven  grass  curtains  or  "portieres 
across  the  otherwise  unclosed  entrance,  and  these  trifling 
elegances  were  multiplied  a  hundred-fold  in  the  interior, 
converting  the  little  building  into  a  veritable  miniature 
palace  in  comparison  with  their  own  unadorned  domicile. 

But  these  little  interior  adornments  did  not  attract  the 
visitors'  notice  until  later  on;  their  whole  attention  was 

(359)  X 


322  A  CORDIAL   RECEPTION. 

at  once  claimed,  upon  their  entrance,  by  the  occupants 
of  the  building,  or  at  least  by  the  fairer  portion  of  them. 

There  were  eis^ht  altoo^ether — four  white  and  four  black, 
the  ebony  damsels  evidently  filling  the  position  of  attend- 
ants. Of  the  white  women  three  were  young — that  is 
to  say,  they  apparently  ranged  between  nineteen  and 
twenty-five  years  of  age — w^hilst  the  fourth  seemed  to  be 
somewhere  between  forty  and  fifty.  This  lady  was  of 
medium  height,  with  a  figure  slightly  inclined  toward 
stoutness,  brown  hair  with  just  a  single  streak  of  silver 
discernible  here  and  there  amongst  it,  a  complexion  still 
in  fairly  good  preservation,  a  pair  of  keen  but  kindly 
gray  eyes,  an  excellent  set  of  teeth,  shapely  hands  and 
feet,  and  a  pleasant  smile  which  at  once  prepossessed  the 
beholder  in  its  possessor's  favour.  Of  the  three  younger 
women,  two,  aged  respectively  twenty-one  and  nineteen, 
were  sisters;  whilst  the  third,  aged  twenty-five,  was  their 
cousin,  the  elderly  lady  being  aunt  to  all  three. 

On  entering  the  hut,  in  response  to  the  cry  of  ''  Come 
in"  which  followed  their  knock  on  the  framework  of  the 
portal,  the  visitors  at  once  found  themselves  face  to  face 
with  the  four  ladies,  who  had  risen  to  their  feet  to  meet 
them;  the  sable  attendants  crouching  at  the  rear  end  of 
the  apartment  with  a  grin  of  sympathetic  curiosity  over- 
spreading their  shining  visages. 

"  You  are  most  welcome,  gentlemen,"  said  the  elderly 
lady,  advancing  and  ofi'ering  her  hand  to  each  of  her 
visitors  in  succession.  "  We  have  been  expecting  you. 
Allow  me  to  perform  the  ceremony  of  introduction.  I 
am  Mrs.  Scott,  widow"  of  Brigadier-general  Scott  of  her 
majesty's  forces  in  India.  This  lady  is  Miss  Sabine,  my 
niece  and  the  only  daughter  of  Major-general   Sabine; 


INTRODUCTIONS.  323 

and  these  are  respectively  Miss  Rose  and  Miss  Lucilla 
Lumsden,  the  daughters  of  an  Indian  judge." 

The  gentlemen  bowed  low  as  each  name  was  mentioned, 
and,  upon  Mrs.  Scott  making  a  somewhat  significant 
pause,  the  baronet  took  up  his  parable,  remarking: 

"  We  are  greatly  honoured  and  delighted,  ladies,  at  thus 
unexpectedly  making  your  acquaintance  in  this  out-of- 
the-way  spot,  and  we  sincerely  hope  that  the  acquain- 
tanceship will  redound  to  our  mutual  advantage.  I  am 
Sir  Reginald  Elphinstone.  This  gentleman  is  Colonel 
Lethbridge;  this  is  Lieutenant  Mildmay,  of  her  majesty's 
navy;  and,  last  but  by  no  means  least,  this  gentleman 
is  Professor  von  Schalckenberg,  an  eminent  German 
scientist,  a  most  delightful  companion,  and  a  man  clever 
enough,  I  firmly  believe,  to  help  us  all  out  of  our  present 
difficulties." 

A  general  shaking  of  hands  ensued;  and  then  Mrs.  Scott 
laughingly  invited  the  gentlemen  to  seat  themselves  on 
the  four  bamboo  pallets  which  occupied  opposite  sides  of 
the  apartment,  apologizing  at  the  same  time  for  the  lack 
of  suitable  sitting  accommodation. 

"And  now,"  said  Mrs.  Scott  laughingly,  "to  which 
of  you  gentlemen  are  we  to  look  for  the  cure  of  our 
madness?" 

"  It  is  expected,  I  believe,"  said  Sir  Reginald,  "  that  we 
shall  each  aid,  to  the  best  of  our  ability,  in  the  good  work. 
But,"  he  continued  in  a  lower  and  more  cautious  tone  of 
voice,  "  is  it  not  rather  imprudent  of  you  to  behave  in  so 
very  sane  a  manner  before  these  women?" 

"  Oh,"  said  Mrs.  Scott,  "  they  are  all  right.  They  are 
perfectly  trustworthy — indeed,  they  are  actively  aiding 
and   abetting   us   in   the   exceedingly  disagreeable   but 


324     MRS.  SCOTT  REGARDS  ESCAPE  AS  HOPELESS. 

necessary  deception  we  are  practising  upon  king  M'Bong- 
wele.  The  wretch!"  she  continued,  starting  indignantly 
to  her  feet.  ''  Would  you  believe  it?  He  actually  has  the 
audacity  and  impudence  to — to — to — " 

"  To  aspire  to  a  matrimonial  alliance  with  one,  if  not  all, 
of  you.  Yes,  I  am  aware  of  his  ambition,"  said  the  ba- 
ronet with  a  smile;  "  and  whilst  we  are  here  to-day,  at  his 
request,  to  remove  the  obstacle  which  your  most  deplor- 
able insanity  interposes,  I  hope  that  the  ultimate  result 
will  be  your  speedy  deliverance,  with  our  own,  from  his 
power.  We  are,  like  yourselves,  prisoners,  but  we  are  by 
no  means  hopeless  of  escape,  and  I  pledge  you  my  word 
that  we  will  not  leave  until  we  can  take  you  all  with  us." 

Mrs.  Scott  shook  her  head  somewhat  doubtfully.  "  We 
are  all  infinitely  obliged  to  you  for  your  generous  pro- 
mise," she  said  with  a  sigh;  "but  I  greatly  fear  you 
are  somewhat  overrating  your  powers.  The  difficulties 
of  escape — in  the  first  place,  from  this  village,  and,  in  the 
next  place,  from  the  country  itself — are  so  formidable 
that  we  have  almost  given  up  all  hope.  May  I  ask  what 
strange  accident  brought  you  hither?" 

"  Assuredly,"  answered  the  baronet.  "And  when  I  have 
informed  you  of  the  facts,  you  will  see  that  the  difficulties 
of  escape  are,  after  all,  not  so  very  enormous,  and  I  trust 
that  you  will  all  take  heart  once  more." 

Sir  Reginald  then  proceeded  to  give  a  detailed  descrip- 
tion of  the  Flying  Fish^emd  of  his  own  and  his  companions' 
adventures  in  her;  winding  up  with  an  account  of  their 
capture — so  far  as  they  were  aware  of  its  details — and  a 
recital  of  the  grounds  upon  which  they  founded  their 
hopes  of  escape. 

The  ladies  listened   to   Sir  Reginald's  singular  story 


m 


MRS.  scott's  story.  325 

with  an  astonishment  which  they  vainly  strove  to  conceal, 
and  had  it  been  uncorroborated,  they  would  probably 
have  suspected  in  him  a  touch  of  the  same  malady  with 
which  they  were  supposed  to  be  afflicted;  but,  as  matters 
were,  they  had  no  choice  but  to  credit  the  tale,  and  very 
much  gratified  they  were  to  learn  that  there  existed  a 
means  of  conveyance  affording,  if  they  could  but  once 
gain  access  to  it,  a  safe,  easy,  and  speedy  escape  from  the 
realms  of  king  M'Bongwele. 

Sir  Reginald,  having  brought  his  story  to  an  end,  re- 
quested that  he  and  his  companions  might  be  favoured 
with  an  account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  ladies  had 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  savages,  which  request  Mrs. 
Scott  complied  with,  somewhat  in  the  following  terms: 

"  It  is,  to  a  great  extent,  my  fault  that  these  poor  girls 
find  themselves  in  the  unfortunate  position  which  they 
occupy  to-day.  I  have  been  a  widow  for  nearly  seven 
years;  but,  having  been  early  left  an  orphan,  with  no 
friends  in  England  and  many  in  India,  I  did  not,  as  many 
newly-made  widows  do,  turn  my  face  homeward  imme- 
diately on  my  husband's  death;  on  the  contrary,  I  deter- 
mined rather  to  remain  in  the  country  of  my  adoption, 
and,  being  left  in  tolerably  comfortable  circumstances, 
made  arrangements  to  reside  alternately  in  Delhi  and 
Simla.  These  arrangements  I  duly  carried  into  efiect,  and 
nothing  occurred  to  disturb  them  until  about  a  year  ago, 
when  my  brother.  Sir  James  Lumsden,  died,  leaving  his 
motherless  daughters  —  Rose  and  Lucilla  here — in  my 
care,  with  an  earnest  entreaty  that  I  would  convey  them, 
at  my  earliest  convenience,  home  to  their  grandfather, 
who  owns  a  very  fine  place  in  Hampshire,  and  who  would, 
doubtless,  be  glad  to  receive  them.     I,  of  course,  very 


326  SHIPWRECKED. 

willingly  undertook  the  duty — not  the  less  so,  perhaps, 
from  the  fact  that  I  was  myself  somewhat  ailing,  and  had 
been  strongly  urged  by  my  medical  adviser  to  try  the 
effect  of  change  and  a  long  sea  voyage.  Our  preparations 
were  soon  completed,  and  we  journeyed  down  to  Bombay, 
at  which  place  I  happened  to  meet  my  brother-in-law. 
General  Sabine.  He,  poor  man,  was  in  a  great  difficulty 
just  then,  being  under  orders  to  proceed  at  once  to  Afghan- 
istan, and  not  knowing  what  to  do  with  his  daughter, 
who,  I  ought  to  explain,  has  been  motherless  from  her 
infancy.  The  best  way  I  could  see  out  of  the  difficulty 
was  for  her  to  take  the  trip  home  to  Europe  with  us,  and, 
upon  my  making  the  proposal,  it  was  joyfully  adopted. 
So  far  all  was  well ;  but  at  this  point  our  difficulties  were 
to  begin.  We,  unfortunately,  took  passage  for  London  in 
a  sailing  ship  for  my  health's  sake.  We,  or  the  ship  rather, 
had  to  call  at  the  Cape,  and,  three  weeks  after  we  sailed, 
the  captain  died.  The  chief  mate  then  assumed  the  com- 
mand of  the  vessel,  and  in  a  few  days  afterwards  we 
found  that  he  was  giving  way  to  drink.  That  was, 
doubtless,  the  cause  of  the  disaster  which  followed,  for  on 
a  dark  and  stormy  night,  whilst  the  chief  mate — or  cap- 
tain, rather,  I  suppose  I  ought  to  call  him — was  lying  in 
his  berth  in  a  state  of  almost  helpless  intoxication,  and 
the  ship  was  flying  before  the  rising  gale  under  all  the 
*  sail  the  sailors  could  spread,  we  struck!  the  masts  snapped 
short  off  at  the  deck,  and  in  a  moment  all  was  confusion 
and  panic.  The  mate,  or  captain,  staggered  up  on  deck  to 
see  what  was  the  matter,  and  he  had  scarcely  reached  the 
poop  when  a  breaker  swept  down  upon  the  wreck  and 
washed  the  unhappy  wretch  overboard,  never  to  be  seen 
again.     The  next  officer — a  brave  energetic  young  fellow 


i 


A   DISAGREEABLE   SITUATION.  327 

— then  took  command,  and  by  his  coolness  and  courage 
soon  restored  order  among  the  crew.  He  commanded  the 
lead-line  to  be  dropped  overboard,  and  by  its  means  as- 
certained that  the  ship  was  being  rapidly  driven  shore- 
ward by  the  force  of  the  waves.  Meanwhile  the  shocks 
of  the  ship  striking  against  the  ground  gradually  grew 
less  and  less  severe,  until  they  ceased  altogether,  and  the 
vessel  became  motionless  save  for  an  occasional  sickening 
lurch  when  an  exceptionally  heavy  wave  struck  her.  By 
this  time  it  was  ascertained  that  the  hold  was  nearly  full 
of  water,  a  circumstance  from  which  the  young  officer  in 
charge  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  hull  was  irretriev- 
ably damaged,  and  he  then  gave  orders  to  lower  the  boats. 
This  task  the  sailors  with  great  difficulty  accomplished, 
and  then,  there  being  at  the  moment  no  immediate  pros- 
pect of  the  wreck  going  to  pieces,  the  boats  were  secured 
under  the  shelter  of  the  ship,  and  it  was  determined  to 
defer  until  daylight  our  attempt  at  landing,  when  the 
dangers  of  the  enterprise  could  be  distinctly  seen  and 
more  easily  avoided.  About  two  hours  elapsed  between 
the  first  striking  of  the  vessel  and  the  launching  of  the 
boats,  during  which  time  I  and  my  nieces  were  on  deck 
in  our  night-dresses,  supplemented  by  such  wraps  as  we 
had  been  able  to  hastily  snatch  on  the  moment  of  the  first 
alarm.  But  when  the  boats  had  been  safely  lowered  into 
the  sea  and  secured,  Mr.  Snelgrove  (the  young  officer  who 
had  last  assumed  the  command)  came  to  us,  and,  in  the 
kindest  manner  possible,  begged  us  to  retire  to  our  cabins, 
assuring  us  that  we  might  do  so  with  perfect  safety,  and 
that  we  might  depend  on  him  to  summon  us  in  good  time 
to  attempt  a  landing  with  the  rest  of  the  crew.  We  ac- 
cordingly took  his  advice,  glad  to  get  back  to  the  shelter 


328  A  LANDING  EFFECTED   ON   THE   BEACH. 

of  the  saloon,  where  we  at  once  discarded  our  wet  gar- 
ments and  proceeded  to  make  ourselves  as  comfortable  as 
the  circumstances  permitted.  Day  broke  at  length,  and 
then  Mr.  Snelgrove  made  his  appearance  in  the  saloon, 
informing  us  that  the  w^eather  had  moderated,  the  sea 
gone  down  a  good  deal,  and  the  tide  had  ebbed,  rendering 
it  a  favourable  moment  to  attempt  a  landing,  which  he 
believed  might  be  effected  without  much  danger;  he 
further  added  that  the  seamen  were  then  passing  pro- 
visions and  water  into  the  boats,  and  that  he  would  allow 
us  ten  minutes  wherein  to  select  and  pack  a  small  bundle 
of  such  clothing  and  effects  as  might  be  deemed  by  us 
most  necessary.  At  length  the  eventful  moment  arrived 
for  us  to  pass  down  into  the  boats,  and  though  we  were 
assured  by  the  sailors  that  there  was  no  danger,  I  never 
was  so  thoroughly  frightened  in  my  life,  for  the  sea  was 
still  very  rough,  leaping,  curling,  and  foaming  all  round 
us.  However,  we  all  managed  to  embark  without  acci- 
dent, and  then  our  boat  (which  was  the  second  to  make 
the  attempt)  pushed  off  and  made  for  the  shore.  The 
breakers  were  appalling,  and  the  boat  was  turned  round 
with  her  bow  pointing  seaward,  and  'backed' — I  think 
they  called  it — toward  the  shore.  The  sea  broke  over  us 
several  times,  half  filling  the  boat;  but  two  men  were 
kept  constantly  baling  with  buckets,  and  at  length — 
thanks  to  Mr.  SneWove's  admirable  manaoement — we 
safely  reached  the  beach,  but  wet  to  the  skin  as  a  matter 
of  course.  Meanwhile,  the  first  boat,  in  charge  of  the 
boatswain,  had  discharged  her  cargo  on  the  beach,  and 
was  now  sent  back  with  four  men  to  the  wreck  to  bring 
on  shore  the  remainder  of  the  crew  and  whatever  of  value 
they  could  lay  their  hands  upon.     This  going  to  and  fro 


SURPRISED  BY  THE  SAVAGES.  329 

between  the  beach  and  the  ship  lasted  nearly  all  day,  and 
by  nightfall  we  had  quite  a  large  quantity  of  provisions, 
water,  canvas,  spars,  and  other  matters,  and  last,  but  not 
least,  all  my  nieces*  and  my  own  boxes.  The  sailors  con- 
structed two  tents  in  a  sheltered  spot  high  up  on  the 
beach — one  for  themselves  and  one  for  us — and  we  at 
length  retired  to  spend  our  first  night  in  the  character  of 
castaways. 

About  an  hour  before  daybreak  we  were  rudely  awak- 
ened— to  find  ourselves  in  the  power  of  the  savages.  I 
am  of  opinion  that  we  must  have  been  watched  during 
the  whole  of  the  previous  day,  for  the  surprise  of  the 
camp  was  complete;  we  had  been  noiselessly  surrounded, 
and,  whilst  we  unfortunate  women  were  spared,  the 
equally  unfortunate  men  were,  for  the  most  part,  slain  in 
their  sleep ;  not  one  had  escaped — at  least  we  never  after- 
wards saw  any  of  them  alive.  The  camp  was  of  course 
ransacked,  and  when  every  man  had  possessed  himself  of 
whatever  happened  to  take  his  fancy,  we  were  placed  in 
the  centre  of  the  band  and  conveyed  to  this  place,  where 
we  have  been  detained  close  prisoners  ever  since.  The 
scattered  contents  of  the  camp  must  afterwards,  I  fancy, 
have  been  collected  and  brought  to  this  village,  for  a  few 
days  later  our  boxes — broken  open  and  the  contents  in  a 
dreadfully  soiled  and  disordered  condition — w^ere  brought 
to  us,  and  upon  our  replying  in  the  affirmative  to  the 
questions  put  to  us  by  signs  as  to  whether  they  were  our 
property,  were  left  in  our  possession.  I  have  only  to 
add  that  the  wreck,  and  the  horrors  which  succeeded  it, 
proved  too  much  for  poor  Lucilla  in  her  then  somewhat 
weak  state  of  health,  and  she  fell  into  a  low  fever  with 
delirium,  which  prostrated  her  for  nearly  three  months, 


330  MRS.  Scott's  story  ended. 

and  from  the  effects  of  which  she  has  even  now  not 
wholly  recovered.  It  was  during  this  dreadfully  anxious 
period  that  those  four  poor  black  creatures  were  appointed 
to  attend  upon  us.  They  have  been  most  zealous  and 
faithful  in  their  efforts  to  help  us;  they  have  instructed 
us  to  some  extent  in  their  simple  language;  and  they  have 
informed  us,  not  only  that  they  are  cast-ofF  wives  of  the 
king,  but  that  he  was,  and  still  is,  anxious  to  secure  one 
(if  not  more)  of  my  nieces  for  a  wife,  and  that  the  only 
hope  of  escape  from  such  a  fate  lay  in  our  simulating 
insanity,  which,  most  reluctantly,  we  have  been  compelled 
to  do  whenever  M'Bongwele  or  any  of  his  emissaries  have 
visited  us.  But,  beyond  our  close  confinement  and  this 
horrible  ever-impending  danger,  we  have  no  very  great 
cause  for  complaint,  all  our  expressed  wants  being  in- 
stantly satisfied  so  far  as  the  resources  of  the  king  will 
permit." 

Mrs.  Scott  having  thus  brought  her  story  to  an  end, 
the  gentlemen  expressed  their  sympathy  and  condolences, 
and  the  conversation  gradually  grew  more  general.  At 
length,  much  as  they  would  have  liked  to  prolong  the 
interview,  they  felt  that  they  had  already  lengthened  it 
out  almost  beyond  the  bounds  of  prudence,  so  they  rose 
to  take  leave,  uttering  a  few  encouraging  remarks,  which 
Sir  Reginald  rounded  ofif  with  an  exhortation  to  them  to 
be  ever  on  the  watch,  and  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness 
for  flight  at  a  moment's  notice,  adding  that  one  or  other  of 
the  gentlemen  would  visit  them  as  often  as  possible  and 
keep  them  well  informed  upon  the  progress  of  events. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

RETRIBUTION    OVERTAKES   KING   M*BONGWELE. 


ING  M'BONGWELE  had  evidently  been  keenly 
on  the  watch  for  the  return  of  the  four  prisoners, 
for  they  had  scarcely  had  time  to  enter  their 
hut  when  the  monarch  presented  himself  before  them, 
and,  with  some  little  impatience  of  manner,  began  his 
interrogations  with  the  single  word: 

"Well?" 

"  We  can  cure  them,"  briefly  answered  the  professor. 

"Good!"  ejaculated  the  king,  his  impatience  yielding 
to  almost  childish  delight.  "  When  is  the  cure  to  be 
performed?" 

"Within  one  span  of  the  sun's  journey  through  the 
sky  after  we  have  administered  a  certain  medicine,  which 
we  must  procure  from  the  ship  Provide  us  each  with  a 
horse  to  go  and  fetch  this  medicine,  and  I  promise  you, 
that  before  you  see  the  stars  to-night  those  women  shall 
be  in  as  full  possession  of  their  reason  as  you  are." 

"  No,"  said  the  king,  eyeing  the  professor  keenly,  "  I 
will  arransre  better  than  that.  You  shall  tell  Lualamba 
where  to  find  this  wonderful  medicine,  and  he  shall  fetch 
it  for  you." 


332  m'bongwele  makes  a  final  effort. 

"That  will  not  do  at  all/'  answered  the  professor. 
"Lualamba  could  never  find  the  medicine;  he  could  not 
even  gain  access  to  the  ship.  We  must  fetch  it  our- 
selves." 

M'Bongwele  rested  his  chin  in  his  hand  for  some 
minutes,  pondering  deeply.  Then  he  rose  to  his  feet  and 
stalked  out  of  the  hut  again  without  vouchsafing  a  word, 
either  "yea"  or  "nay." 

"He  is  not  quite  such  a  fool  as  he  looks,"  was  the 
baronet's  sole  comment  upon  this  strange  behaviour,  and 
then  they  sat  down  to  luncheon. 

The  king,  upon  re-entering  his  palace,  at  once  sent  for 
Lualamba,  and,  upon  that  chief  making  his  appearance, 
issued  strict  orders  that  every  available  man,  woman,  and 
child,  not  only  in  the  village  but  in  the  entire  district, 
should  be  mustered  by  noon  next  day,  to  make  one  grand 
and  final  attempt  to  move  the  ship  to  the  village,  pending 
which  the  king  decided  to  hold  no  further  communica- 
tions with  his  prisoners.  The  attempt  was  made  in  due 
course,  and,  like  the  others,  it  proved,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected, a  miserable  failure.  Poor  M'Bongwele  was  now 
completely  at  a  loss;  he  knew  not  what  to  do.  He  was 
most  anxious  to  have  the  white  women  cured;  but  he  had 
a  powerful  presentiment  that  if  those  singular  beings, 
whom  he  certainly  to  some  extent  had  in  his  power,  once 
again  set  foot  upon  that  curious  thing  they  called  a 
"ship,"  his  power  over  them  would  be  gone  for  ever.  And 
in  such  a  case  he  felt  that  his  fate  was  certain;  he  had 
laid  unholy  hands  upon  them,  and  dire  would  be  his 
punishment.  No ;  he  was  convinced  that  at  all  costs  they 
must  be  debarred  from  access  to  that  terrible  "ship," 
unless  he  could  first  of  all  gain  their  forgiveness,  amity, 


SEKETULO'S   EXCESSIVE   CAUTION.  333 

and  good- will,  and  interest  them  in  his  fortunes  to  the 
extent  of  securing  their  active  co-operation  in  his  schemes 
of  conquest  and  aggrandizement.  How  to  do  this  was, 
however,  the  question  which  puzzled  king  M'Bongwele; 
and  it  puzzled  him  so  long  that — but  stay,  we  must  not 
forestall  the  story. 

Thus  engaged  in  a  futile  endeavour  to  discover  a  way 
out  of  his  dilemma,  the  king  kept  himself  strictly  secluded 
in  his  palace  day  after  day,  allowing  no  one  access  to  him 
unless  upon  business  of  the  utmost  urgency  and  impor- 
tance. Meanwhile,  Seketulo,  deeming  the  period  a  favour- 
able one  for  the  furtherance  of  his  own  schemes,  first 
exhibited  an  increased  amount  of  pi-ecaution  in  the  proper 
posting  of  the  guard  over  the  prisoners,  and  then  a  grad- 
ually growing  disposition  to  converse  with  the  prisoners 
themselves.  From  this  he  proceeded  to  develop  an  in- 
terest, which,  after  a  suitable  lapse  of  time,  was  allowed 
to  merge  into  anxiety  for  their  welfare  and  greater  com- 
fort, and,  finding  these  cautious  advances  well  received, 
he  then  set  to  work  in  real  earnest  upon  the  delicate  task 
of  unfolding  his  proposals.  He  was  so  very  cautious, 
however,  and  took  so  long  a  time  about  this,  that  he 
missed  his  opportunity  altogether,  and  that,  too,  through 
a  very  simple  accident. 

It  happened  one  night  that,  after  an  unusually  long, 
disjointed,  and  desultory  conversation  with  this  same 
chief,  Mildmay  failed  to  get  to  sleep  with  his  usual 
promptitude,  and  he  lay  tossing  restlessly  upon  his  pallet 
until  he  became  impatient  and  finally  exasperated  at  his 
want  of  success.  The  hut  felt  hot  and  stuffy  to  the  verge 
of  suffocation,  and  the  lieutenant  at  length  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  was  no  hope  of  his  getting  to  sleep 


334  ASLEEP   ON    GUARD. 

until  he  had  taken  a  turn  or  two  up  and  down  the  com- 
pound, in  the  comparatively  cool  night  air. 

He  accordingly  scrambled  to  his  feet,  and,  groping  his 
way  in  the  intense  darkness,  made  for  the  verandah. 
Here  he  paused  for  a  moment,  glancing  upward  to  the 
sky,  which  he  found  to  be  obscured  by  a  dense  canopy 
of  heavy  black  cloud,  portending  rain,  which  sufficiently 
accounted  for  the  pitchy  darkness.  His  eyes  at  length 
becoming  accustomed  to  the  obscurity,  he  looked  round 
for  the  guard;  and  he  eventually  discovered  the  various 
members  faithfully  occupying  their  posts,  but,  one  and 
all,  squatted  upon  the  ground  evidently  fast  asleep.  He 
stalked  out  toward  the  centre  of  the  compound  and  took 
two  or  three  turns  up  and  down  its  length,  his  footsteps 
falling  noiselessly  upon  the  light  sandy  soil,  and  not  one 
of  the  savages  manifested  the  slightest  consciousness  of 
his  presence.  Then  he  gradually  extended  his  walk  until 
he  reached  the  gate  in  the  palisade,  and  here  too  the 
guard  was  fast  asleep.  An  idea  presented  itself  to  him; 
and  he  was  about  to  make  an  attempt  to  noiselessly  re- 
move the  bars  and  open  the  gate,  when  prudence  sug- 
gested another  and  a  better  plan.  He  tiptoed  lightly 
back  to  the  hut,  and,  gently  awakening  each  of  his  com- 
panions in  turn,  whispered  in  their  ears: 

"  Up  at  once !  there  is  an  opportunity  for  us  to  effect 
our  escape!" 

The  aroused  sleepers  instinctively  comprehended  the 
situation  and  sprang  to  their  feet.  Another  minute,  and 
four  shadowy  shapes  stole  noiselessly  across  the  compound, 
to  vanish  almost  instantly  in  the  deeper  shadows  of  the 
palisading.  The  closed  gate  was  reached  and  passed,  and 
presently  the  fugitives  found  themselves  in  the  angle  of 


SCALING  THE  PALISADES.  335 

the  compound  most  distant  from  the  slumbering  guard. 
Here  Mildmay  offered  a  "back"  to  the  baronet,  whis- 
pering : 

"You  go  first." 

Without  a  word  Sir  Reginald  complied,  clambering 
first  upon  his  companion's  back  and  thence  noiselessly  to 
the  top  of  the  palisading.  In  another  second  a  faint  thud 
on  the  outside  told  that  the  first  adventurer  had  success- 
fully scaled  the  barrier 

"You  go  next,"  whispered  Mildmay  to  the  colonel,  "and 
remain  on  the  top  of  the  palisade  to  give  the  professor  a 
hand." 

Up  went  the  colonel,  and  up  after  him  went  the  pro- 
fessor. The  latter,  with  the  baronet's  assistance  from 
below  on  the  outside,  accomplished  his  descent  in  safety; 
and  then  the  colonel,  reaching  as  far  down  as  he  could, 
assisted  Mildmay  to  the  top.  The  rest  was  easy;  and  a 
minute  later  they  were  cautiously  making  their  way  up 
the  road  to  the  top  end  of  the  village,  or  that  which  was 
most  thinly  inhabited.  At  this  moment  down  came  the 
rain,  a  regular  tropical  deluge,  which  was  undoubtedly  a 
most  fortunate  circumstance  for  the  fugitives,  as  they 
could  otherwise  have  scarcely  hoped  to  escape  the  vigi- 
lance of  the  numerous  prowling  curs  belonging  to  the 
village,  who,  as  it  was,  were  driven  by  the  rain  to  take 
refuge  in  their  masters'  huts. 

Five  minutes  suflaced  the  travellers  to  reach  the  stout 
lofty  palisade  which  inclosed  the  village;  and  this,  the 
framework  all  being  on  the  inner  side,  they  were  easily 
enabled  to  surmount.  Once  outside  this  obstacle,  Mildmay 
assumed  the  leadership,  confidently  declaring  his  ability 
to  find  the  ship,  though  he  had  only  once  before,  con- 


336  LAND   NAVIGATION   UNDER  DIFFICULTIES. 

sciously,  passed  over  the  ground  between  the  village  and 
the  ruins. 

The  party  made  their  way  in  the  first  place  along  the 
outer  side  of  the  palisading  until  they  reached  the  main 
entrance  gate  to  the  village;  and  from  this  point  Mild- 
may  "  took  his  departure."  A  well-defined  pathway  led 
for  some  distance  down  into  the  plain,  and  this  they  tra- 
versed until  the  lieutenant  believed  he  had  reached  the 
point  at  which  to  turn  off.  Here  he  paused  for  a  full 
minute,  looking  about  him  and  peering  into  the  darkness. 
The  rain  was  still  pelting  down,  though  not  so  heavily  as 
at  first;  and  away  to  the  eastward  the  clouds  were  already 
beginning  to  break,  allowing  a  star  to  peep  through  here 
and  there.  At  length  Mildmay  thought  he  had  got  his 
bearings  right;  and,  selecting  a  star  to  steer  by,  away  he 
plunged  into  the  long  thick  wet  grass,  his  companions 
following  closely  behind.  A  few  minutes  later  the  rain 
ceased,  the  clouds  vanished  from  the  sky,  and  the  stars 
shone  calmly  out  in  all  their  beauty,  affording  an  ample 
sufficiency  of  light  to  distinctly  reveal  to  the  wayfarers 
the  nearer  clumps  of  bush,  trees,  and  other  large  objects. 
Mildmay  now  paused  again,  and,  shading  his  eyes  with 
his  hand,  once  more  keenly  surveyed  the  horizon. 

"All  right,"  he  murmured.  ''We  are  going  just  right, 
I  believe.  I  can  indistinctly  make  out  something  away 
there  on  the  horizon,  just  ahead,  which  I  feel  certain 
must  be  the  ruins.  Come  along,  my  hearties;  heave 
ahead!" 

Again  they  pushed  forward,  dripping  wet,  drenched  to 
the  skin  with  the  recent  shower,  and  stumbling  every 
now  and  then  as  their  feet  became  entangled  in  the  long 
matted  grass;    now   swerving   to  the  right  to  avoid  a 


A   THRICE-WELCOME   SIGHT.  337 

clump  of  bush,  then  to  the  left  for  the  same  purpose; 
but  ever  keeping  one  particular  star,  low  down  on  the 
horizon,  as  nearly  straight  ahead  as  possible.  Though 
the  rest  of  the  party  felt  themselves  utterly  lost,  without 
the  faintest  notion  of  where  they  were  going,  and  though 
neither  of  them  could  distinguish  anything  even  remotely 
resembling  the  ruins,  Mildmay  still  persisted  that  he  was 
right;  and  he  continued  to  press  rapidly  forward,  the 
rest  following  him,  since  they  could  do  no  better.  At 
length  they  struck  a  narrow  path  through  the  grass,  and 
Mildmay  at  once  announced  his  intention  of  following  it. 

"  It  is  a  little  off  our  course,"  he  said,  "  but  the  walk- 
ing is  so  much  easier  here  that  we  shall  gain  more 
than  we  shall  lose  by  following  it;  and  I  should  not  be 
surprised  to  find  that  it  leads  to  the  ruins.  Half  an 
hour  later  a  brilliant  star  suddenly  appeared  in  the  dense 
darkness  ahead.  It  shone  steadily  for  nearly  a  minute, 
disappeared,  and  almost  instantly  appeared  again. 

"Hurrah!"  ejaculated  the  lieutenant  joyously,  "there 
is  the  ship's  light.  Now  we  know  that  we  are  right. 
Another  hour's  tramp  will,  if  all  be  well,  take  us  along- 
side.    How  I  wish  I  had  a  pipe  of  tobacco!" 

"Don't  mention  it!"  fervently  ejaculated  the  professor, 
who  was  an  ardent  lover  of  the  weed.  "However,  in 
another  hour,  as  you  say — ah !" 

The  professor's  "  ah ! "  was  so  very  expressive  of  antici- 
pated pleasure  that  his  companions  with  one  accord  burst 
into  a  hearty  laugh,  which,  however,  was  abruptly  cut 
short  by  a  low  savage  growl  and  a  sudden  rustling  in 
the  grass  close  by. 

"What  was  that?"  was  the  simultaneous  inquiry  as  the 
party  came  abruptly  to  a  dead  halt. 

(359)  Y 


338  "SAFE  AT   LAST." 

''Push  on,  push  on!"  urged  the  professor.  ''It  is  some 
nocturnal  animal  prowling  in  search  of  prey.  At  this 
moment  he  is  more  frightened  than  we  are;  but  if  we 
wait  here  until  he  has  regained  his  courage  he  will  per- 
haps spring  on  one  of  us." 

The  march  was  accordingly  resumed,  with  perhaps  some 
little  precipitation;  and  at  length  Mildmay's  companions 
began  to  be  conscious  of  the  presence  of  certain  shapeless 
blotches  of  blackness  rising  up  against  the  sky  ahead  of 
them  and  occasionally  obscuring  for  a  few  seconds  the  now 
brilliant  light  which  gleamed  from  the  top  of  the  Flying 
Fish's  pilot-house.  These  shapeless  blotches  of  blackness 
increased  in  size  with  almost  startling  rapidity;  and  in  a 
few  minutes  the  travellers,  still  following  the  footpath, 
found  themselves  in  the  midst  of  them,  winding  in  and 
out  between  great  blocks  of  masonry  which  suddenly 
rose  up  in  front  of  them  in  the  darkness,  and  stumbling 
over  loose  boulders  and  fragments  of  stone.  At  length 
they  found  themselves  in  the  clear  open  space  occupied 
by  the  Flying  Fish;  and  in  another  quarter  of  an  hour 
the  party  passed  into  the  black  tunnel  formed  by  the 
bilge-keel  and  the  side  of  the  ship,  and  began  to  feel 
with  their  feet  for  the  open  trap-door.  This  was  soon 
reached;  the  party  entered  the  opening,  closed  the  flap, 
and,  with  a  murmured  "Thank  God,  we  are  safe  at  last!" 
began  to  feel  for  the  button  which  was  to  open  the  door 
giving  access  to  the  interior  proper  of  the  ship.  Another 
second  and  this  door  swung  open,  and  the  party  found 
themselves  at  the  foot  of  the  cylindrical  staircase,  in  the 
full  blaze  of  the  electric  lamps. 

"Now,"  said  the  baronet,  "ten  minutes  in  which  to 
strip,  rub  down,  and  don  dry  garments,  and  then  we  will 


TO  THE  rescue!  339 

be  off  to  the  rescue  of  those  poor  women,  after  which  I 
think  we  must  give  our  friend  M'Bongwele  a  salutary 
lesson  on  the  evil  and  impolicy  of  treachery." 

The  allotted  ten  minutes  had  not  quite  expired  when 
the  professor,  the  last  of  the  party,  made  his  appearance 
in  the  pilot-house,  by  which  time  the  Flying  Fish  was 
some  five  hundred  feet  in  the  air,  with  her  nose  pointing 
in  the  direction  of  M'Bongvvele's  village,  and  her  propeller 
driving  her  ahead  at  full  speed.  The  electric  lights  of 
the  ship  were  all  called  into  requisition  for  the  illumina- 
tion of  the  landscape,  producing  a  weird  and  ghostlike 
effect  as  the  trees  and  clumps  of  bush  first  caught  the 
light  and  then  brightened  into  full  radiance  as  they 
flashed  past,  to  instantly  fade  again  into  obscurity.  A 
startled  howl  or  two  smote  upon  the  ears  of  the  travellers, 
and  the  forms  of  hastily  retreating  animals  were  momen- 
tarily caught  sight  of;  but  all  eyes  were  intently  directed 
ahead  in  anxious  expectancy  of  catching  sight  of  the 
village,  and  presently  it  came  into  view.  The  speed  was 
at  once  reduced  and  the  vessel's  flight  directed  earthward, 
and  in  another  moment  she  dashed  through  the  palisade, 
shivering  the  principal  entrance  gate  to  splinters,  and  (as 
was  intended)  frightening  the  guard  clean  out  of  their 
senses  With  one  shrill,  piercing  scream  of  terror,  as 
they  caught  sight  of  the  dazzling  bow  lights  of  the  ship, 
the  sable  warriors  took  to  their  heels  and  vanished  in  the 
darkness,  whilst  the  Flying  Fish  was  dexterously  brought 
to  earth  close  alongside  the  hut  tenanted  by  Mrs.  Scott 
and  her  nieces.  That  appalling  yell  effectually  awakened 
the  entire  occupants  of  the  hut;  and  whilst  they  were 
sitting  up  on  their  pallets,  rubbing  their  eyes  and  won- 
dering what  the  terrible  sound  might  portend,  the  portiere 


340  EXCITEMENT   IN   THE   VILLAGE. 

was  pushed  aside  and  the  professor,  bearing  a  hand-lamp, 
unceremoniously  made  his  appearance  before  them  with 
an  earnest  request  that  they  would  dress  with  all  speed 
and  join  him  on  the  outside  of  the  hut,  where  he  would 
await  them,  the  hour  of  their  deliverance  having  arrived. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  the  bewildered  ladies  were 
conducted  by  von  Schalckenberg  in  through  the  trap- 
door in  the  bottom  of  the  Flying  Fish  and  up  the  cylin- 
drical staircase  to  the  saloon,  where  they  were  warmly 
welcomed  by  the  other  three  gentlemen,  who,  after  a  few^ 
congratulatory  remarks  on  their  fortunate  escape,  retired 
to  secure  and  convey  on  board  the  boxes  containing  the 
remainder  of  their  guests'  wardrobes.  This  done,  Mrs. 
Scott  and  her  nieces  were  conducted  to  the  cabins  assigned 
for  their  use,  and  the  gentlemen  then  retreated  to  the 
pilot-house,  where,  over  a  keenly  enjoyed  pipe,  a  hasty 
council  was  held  as  to  what  should  be  done  with  M'Bong- 
wele. 

This  question  was  settled  just  as  the  first  faint  streaks 
of  approaching  dawn  began  to  brighten  the  eastern 
horizon,  when  the  ship  was  moved  up  into  the  great 
square  before  the  king's  house,  where  the  whole  of  the 
king's  body-guard  were  drawn  up  under  arms,  and, 
beyond  them,  the  remaining  inhabitants  of  the  village,  a 
dense,  surging,  excited,  squabbling  crowd. 

On  the  approach  of  the  Flying  Fish  the  latter  flung 
themselves  face  downwards,  in  abject  terror,  to  the 
ground,  and  the  armed  and  mounted  warriors  betrayed 
a  disposition  to  stampede  which  was  only  with  the  utmost 
difficulty  checked  and  restrained  by  Seketulo.  Even  this 
chief  found  himself  unable  to  wholly  conceal  the  feeling 
of  nervousness  which  agitated  him;  but  he  in  this  trying 


A   THRILLING  MOMENT.  341 

moment  enjoyed  a  consciousness,  unshared  by  any  other 
man  there  present,  of  having  done  his  best  to  make  the 
erstwhile  prisoners  comfortable. 

As  the  huge  ship  settled  quietly  down  in  the  centre 
of  the  great  square  a  profound  and  deathlike  silence 
suddenly  succeeded  the  confused  babbling  sound  which 
had  hitherto  prevailed,  and  when  the  four  travellers 
stepped  out  from  the  pilot-house  to  the  deck  and  appeared 
at  the  gangway  a  visible  shudder  ran  through  the  entire 
concourse  of  people  there  assembled.  They  dreaded  they 
knew  not  what,  and  their  fears  were  only  in  a  very 
trifling  degree  allayed  by  the  promise  of  intercession  on 
their  behalf  which  Seketulo  had  made  to  them. 

The  professor  was  of  course  to  be  spokesman  for  the 
occasion;  it  was  he,  therefore,  who  broke  the  terrible 
silence  by  exclaiming,  in  a  loud,  commanding  tone  of 
voice : 

"Seketulo,  we  are  your  friends.  Advance,  therefore, 
and  listen  to  the  commands  which  we  are  about  to  lay 
upon  you!" 

The  reassured  and  now  happy  chief  struck  with  his 
spurred  heels  the  sides  of  his  charger,  and  the  animal, 
bounding  and  caracoling,  advanced  to  within  a  few  yards 
of  the  ship's  side,  where  his  rider  dismounted  and,  with 
bowed  head  and  bended  knee,  waited  for  such  communi- 
cation as  might  be  vouchsafed  him. 

"Listen,  O  Seketulo!"  continued  the  professor,  "We 
entered  this  country  animated  by  feelings  of  the  most 
amicable  nature  to  its  king  and  to  every  one  of  its  in- 
habitants. We  showed  this  by  distributing  presents  of 
beads,  cloth,  and  other  matters  when  Lualamba  and  his 
warriors  first  visited  us.     And  we  asked  for  nothing  in 


342  dethroned! 

return  save  permission  to  examine  and  explore  the  ruins 
on  yonder  plain;  offering  to  pay  promptly  and  liberally 
for  whatever  assistance  we  might  need.  Is  not  this  the 
truth?" 

"It  is,  O  most  mighty  wizard,"  answered  Seketulo 
humbly;  some  of  the  braver  warriors  also  venturing  to 
murmur: 

"It  is!  it  is!" 

"And  how  have  we  been  treated?"  asked  the  professor. 
"Your  king,  not  satisfied  with  our  friendship  and  the 
presents  we  gave  him,  wickedly  and  treacherously  devised 
a  scheme  to  get  us  into  his  power- — a  scheme  which,  in 
order  to  try  him,  we  permitted  to  succeed.  And,  having 
done  that,  he  further  attempted  to  gain  possession  of  this 
ship  " — this  fact  having  leaked  out  in  Seketulo's  previous 
conversations — "profanely  and  audaciously  thinking  he 
could  subdue  her  to  his  will  and  control  her  as  we  do. 
Now,  therefore,  be  it  understood  by  all  present  that,  for 
his  base  treachery,  M'Bongwele  is  dethroned,  and  Seke- 
tulo will,  from  this  moment,  reign  in  his  stead.  Let  a 
detachment  of  the  guard  enter  the  palace  and  bring 
M'Bongwele  forth  to  hear  his  sentence!" 

In  an  instant  Lualamba — anxious  above  all  things  to 
please  the  powers  that  be,  and  having,  moreover,  in 
revengeful  remembrance  many  little  gratuitous  slights 
and  insults  which  he  had  suffered  at  the  king's  hands — 
dismounted  a  squadron  of  the  guard,  and,  surrounding 
the  palace,  himself  entered  the  building  at  the  head  of 
half  a  dozen  men.  Two  or  three  minutes  later  the  party 
reappeared  with  the  dethroned  monarch  in  their  midst. 
They  advanced  until  almost  level  with  the  spot  occupied 
by  Seketulo,  when,  at  a  sign  from  the  professor,  they 


MEETING   MISFORTUNE   AS   BECOMES   A   KING.  343 

halted;  the  guards  disposing  themselves  round  M'Bong- 
wele  in  such  a  manner  that,  whilst  to  escape  was  an  utter 
impossibility,  he  could  still  see  and  hear  the  individual 
who,  perched  far  aloft  in  the  gangway  of  the  ship,  was 
about  to  address  him. 

M'Bongwele  never,  perhaps,  looked  more  kingly  than 
whilst  he  thus  stood  to  receive  his  sentence  of  dethrone- 
ment. He  was  fully  conscious  of  his  treacherous  be- 
haviour to  his  guests,  but  he  felt  no  shame  thereat, 
for  he  had  been  schooled  in  the  belief  that  treachery, 
falsehood,  ay,  even  deliberate,  cold-blooded  murder,  was 
perfectly  justifiable  in  the  pursuit  of  power.  His  only 
feeling  was  that  he  had  played  a  bold  game  for  a  high 
stake  and  had  lost  it.  The  moment  of  reckoning  had 
now  arrived,  the  penalty  of  failure  had  to  be  paid,  and 
though  he  knew  not  what  that  penalty  might  be — though 
his  brain  was  teeming  with  all  sorts  of  possible  and  im- 
possible horrors — he  never  for  a  moment  forgot  that  he 
was  a  monarch,  that  the  eyes  of  his  people  were  on  him, 
noting  his  every  look  and  gesture,  and  he  summoned  all 
his  fortitude  to  his  aid,  in  order  that,  since  fall  he  must, 
he  should  fall  as  becomes  a  king. 

So  there  he  stood  in  the  bright  sunlight  of  the  early 
morning — an  unarmed  man,  surrounded  by  those  who, 
whilst  they  would  yesterday  have  poured  out  their  heart's 
blood  at  his  command,  were  now  prepared  to  hew  him  in 
pieces  at  the  bidding  of  a  white-skinned  stranger — with 
arms  folded  across  the  muscular  naked  chest  which 
throbbed  visibly  with  the  intensity  of  his  hardly  repressed 
emotions,  his  head  thrown  back,  his  brows  knitted,  his 
lips  firmly  closed  over  his  rigidly  set  teeth,  and  his  eyes 
unquailingly  fixed  upon  the  group  of  white  men  whom  he 


344  m'bongwele  vanishes  from  the  scene. 

recognized  and  tacitly  acknowledged  as  his  conquerors 
and  judges.  And  when  the  sentence  o£  dethronement, 
separation  from  his  family,  and  instant  banishment  for 
life  from  his  country,  was  pronounced  upon  him,  he 
offered  no  plea  for  pardon  or  mitigation  of  his  punish- 
ment; he  urged  nothing  in  extenuation  or  justification  of 
his  conduct,  but  simply  bowed  his  head  in  token  of  his 
submission  to  the  inevitable,  and  begged  a  respite  of  a 
few  minutes  in  which  to  bid  farewell  to  his  family  before 
setting  out  upon  his  journey  to  the  frontier,  whither  he 
was  to  be  escorted  by  a  small  well-armed  party,  in  whom 
Seketulo  knew  he  could  place  implicit  trust. 

This  somewhat  painful  scene  over,  the  troops  and 
people  there  present  were  required  to  swear  allegiance 
and  fidelity  to  their  new  king,  which  they  readily  did 
with  all  the  formalities  customary  among  them  on  such 
occasions;  after  which  the  crown  of  gold  and  feathers 
worn  by  M'Bongwele  was  brought  forward  and  placed 
upon  Seketulo's  head;  and  the  new  king  was  then  invited 
on  board  the  ship  to  confer  with — and  in  reality  to  receive 
instructions  respecting  his  future  policy  and  conduct 
from — the  men  who  had  raised  him  to  the  supreme  dig- . 
nity.  The  advice — given  with  sufficient  firmness  and 
emphasis  to  constitute  a  command — comprised  many 
valuable  hints  for  the  wise  and  humane  government  of 
the  nation,  and  was  concluded  with  a  powerful  exhorta- 
tion to  treat  with  fairness,  justice,  humanity,  and  hos- 
pitality all  strangers  who  might  be  brought  by  accident 
or  otherwise  into  the  country;  to  succour,  nourish,  and 
carefully  protect  them  from  molestation  or  spoliation  of 
any  and  every  kind  whilst  within  its  borders;  and  to 
afford  them  every  help  and  facility  to  leave  whensoever 


A.  SATISFACTORY  ARRANGEMENT.  345 

they  might  desire.  And,  finally,  a  satisfactory  arrange- 
ment was  made  whereby  the  baronet  and  his  companions 
were  enabled  to  continue  and  complete  their  exploration 
and  examination  of  the  ruins. 

The  Flying  Fish  and  her  inmates  remained  in  the 
country  for  rather  more  than  three  months  from  that 
date;  quite  long  enough  to  satisfy  the  party  that  they 
had  really  acted  wisely,  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  nation, 
in  deposing  M'Bongwele ;  and  long  enough  to  enable  them 
to  make  several  most  surprising  and  interesting  dis- 
coveries among  the  ruins — discoveries  which  it  is  not 
necessary  to  describe  or  particularize  here,  since  the  pro- 
fessor has  prepared,  and  is  now  revising  for  the  press,  an 
elaborate  and  exhaustive  treatise  upon  the  subject. 


i 

^ 
^ 

^ 

M 

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«-'        '^■'v^ 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

AN   ADVENTURE   ON   THE   TOP   OF   MOUNT    EVEREST. 


I 


m 


EAVING  the  country  at  last — to  the  very  great 
regret  of  the  inhabitants,  who  found  that  every 
little  service  rendered  to  the  white  strangers 
was  munificently  rewarded  by  a  present  of  beads,  buttons, 
party-coloured  cloth,  or  perhaps  a  small  hand  mirror — the 
travellers  made  the  best  of  their  way  to  Bombay,  at 
which  place  Mrs.  Scott  and  her  nieces  were  anxious  to  be 
landed,  and  there  they  bade  their  fair  guests  a  reluctant 
adieu.  Thence,  starting  under  cover  of  night  and  rising 
to  a  height  of  about  ten  thousand  feet  above  the  ground 
surface,  the  travellers  made  their  way  across  the  Indian 
peninsula  in  a  north-easterly  direction,  travelling  at  a 
speed  of  about  one  hundred  miles  per  hour,  and  arriving 
about  eif^^ht  o'clock  the  next  morning  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Everest,  the  summit  of  which — towering  into  the  sky  to 
the  enormous  altitude  of  twenty-nine  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea-level,  and  believed  to  be  the  most  lofty  spot  of 
earth  on  the  surface  of  our  globe — they  intended  attempt- 
ing to  reach. 

Here,  on  a  magnificent  grassy  plateau  surrounded  by 
trees,  and  with  not  a  single  sign  of  human  life  at  hand, 


A  DIFFICULT  AND   DANGEROUS   TASK.  347 

the  Flying  Fish  was  brought  to  earth  and  temporarily 
secured  whilst  the  party  took  breakfast. 

''  Now,"  said  the  professor  as  they  rose  from  the  break- 
fast-table, "in  seeking  to  plant  our  feet  upon  the  topmost 
peak  of  Mount  Everest  we  are  about  to  enter  upon  a  task 
of  no  ordinary  difficulty  and  danger,  and  it  is  desirable 
that  no  avoidable  risks  should  be  run.  The  danger  arises 
from  two  causes — the  excessive  cold,  and  the  highly  rare- 
fied state  of  the  atmosphere  at  so  enormous  an  elevation. 
The  tirst  can  be  guarded  against  by  suitable  clothing; 
the  second  can  only  be  overcome  by  the  assumption  of 
our  diving  dresses.  The  latter,  no  doubt,  seems  to  you  a 
strange  precaution;  but  it  is  a  fact,  that  on  the  top  of 
Mount  Everest  the  air  is  too  thin  to  support  life,  at  all 
events  in  comfort,  and  for  any  but  the  briefest  possible 
time;  so  we  must  take  up  our  air  with  us.  Let  us  there- 
fore go  and  make  these  necessary  changes  of  costume 
before  we  attempt  moving  the  ship  from  her  present 
position." 

Half  an  hour  later,  the  party,  accoutred  in  their  diving 
armour — between  which  and  their  ordinary  clothing  they 
had  interposed  stout  warm  flannel  overalls — and  armed 
with  small  ice-hatchets,  mustered  in  the  pilot-house;  the 
ship  was  released  from  the  ground,  a  vacuum  created  in 
her  air-chambers,  and  upward  she  at  once  shot  into  the 
clear  blue  cloudless  sky.  A  few  minutes  only  sufficed 
her  to  soar  to  the  height  of  ten  thousand  feet,  after  which 
her  progress  upward,  as  indicated  by  the  steadily  falling 
column  of  mercury  in  the  tube  of  the  barometer,  gradually 
decreased  in  velocity.  At  the  height  of  twenty-nine 
thousand  feet  the  mercury  ceased  to  fall,  or  the  ship 
ceased  to  rise,  which  amounted  to  the  same  thing,  and 


348  THE  FIRST   DIFFICULTY. 

Mount  Everest  lay  before  them,  its  snowy  peak  glisten- 
ing in  the  sun  ten  miles  away,  and  its  topmost  pinnacle 
still  towering  somewhere  about  five  hundred  feet  above 
the  line  of  their  horizon. 

"  Well,"  said  the  professor,  remarking  upon  their  failure 
to  attain  a  greater  altitude,  "  I  anticipated  this;  I  was  quite 
prepared  to  find  that  here,  where  the  sun  is  so  much 
more  nearly  vertical  than  it  is  with  us  in  England,  we 
should  meet  with  a  more  rarefied  atmosphere.  However, 
we  cannot  help  it.  We  must  do  what  we  can;  and  if  we 
fail  to  reach  the  summit  we  shall  simply  be  obliged  to 
descend  again,  rid  ourselves  temporarily  of  a  few  of  our 
more  weighty  matters,  and  then  renew  the  attempt. 
Perhaps  we  may  be  enabled  to  force  her  up  that  remain- 
ing five  hundred  feet  by  the  power  of  her  engines.  Let 
us  try." 

The  engines  were  sent  ahead  at  full  speed,  and  the 
Flying  Fish  rushed  toward  the  glittering  peak,  the  pro- 
fessor so  adjusting  the  helm  as  to  give  the  ship's  bows  a 
slight  upward  inclination.  The  experiment  resulted  in 
partial  success,  an  additional  elevation  of  some  two  hun- 
dred feet  being  attained,  but  beyond  that  it  was  found 
impossible  to  go;  even  then  it  was  necessary  to  keep  the 
ship  moving  at  full  speed,  and  to  maintain  the  upward 
inclination  of  her  bows,  in  order  to  preserve  the  slight 
additional  height  gained,  her  tendency  being  to  sink 
immediately  upon  any  relaxation  of  speed.  It  was  re- 
solved to  be  satisfied  with  this,  to  efifect  a  landing  some- 
w^here,  and  to  attempt  surmounting  the  remaining  three 
hundred  feet  by  climbing.  A  landing-place  was  next 
sought  for,  and  this  was  at  length  found  on  the  northern 
side  of  the  mountain,  on  a  sidelong  slanting  snow-bank, 


A   PERILOUS    LANDING-PLACE.  349 

which  seemed  to  have  accumulated  between  two  project- 
ing crags.  It  was  by  no  means  a  desirable  spot  on  which 
to  effect  a  landing,  the  area  of  the  bank  being  very  small, 
and  the  surface  sloping  most  awkwardly;  however,  it 
was  the  best  place  the  travellers  could  iBnd,  and  they  were 
therefore  obliged  to  rest  content  with  it;  so  the  ship  was 
headed  toward  it,  and  in  another  second  or  two  a  harsh 
grating  sound,  accompanied  by  an  upward  surge,  showed 
that  she  had  taken  the  ground,  or  rather  the  snow-bank. 
The  engines  were  then  stopped,  and  the  grip -anchors 
brought  into  requisition  to  secure  her  in  her  somewhat 
precarious  berth. 

"Well,  here  we  are,"  exclaimed  the  baronet;  "and  the 
next  thing,  I  suppose,  is  to  land  and  commence  our  climb 
without  loss  of  time.  What  a  wild-looking  spot  it  is,  to 
be  sure;  if  I  were  to  stand  looking  at  it  long  I  believe  I 
should  lose  my  nerve  and  shirk  the  task." 

"  Better  not  look  at  it  any  longer,  then,  until  we  can 
contemplate  the  prospect  from  the  peak  away  up  aloft 
there,"  remarked  the  practical  Mildmay.  "  But,"  he  con- 
tinued, "  I  don't  half  like  the  idea  of  going  out  upon  that 
sloping  slippery  surface  of  frozen  snow  that  the  ship  has 
grounded  upon;  a  single  slip  or  false  step  and  away  one 
would  go  over  the  edge,  to  bring  up,  perhaps,  on  a  rock  a 
thousand  feet  below.  I  shall  hook  on  the  rope-ladder, 
and  endeavour  to  make  a  start  from  yonder  naked  spur 
of  rock." 

The  others  also  seemed  to  think  this  the  wisest  plan, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  they  were  making  their  way  cau- 
tiously down  the  rope-ladder  one  after  the  other,  the 
baronet,  an  experienced  mountaineer,  leading,  and  Mild- 
may  bringing  up  the  rear. 


350  ON   THE  TOPMOST   PINNACLE   OF   EVEREST. 

The  adventurers  soon  found  that  their  task  was  likely 
to  be  a  great  deal  more  difficult  and  hazardous  than  they 
had  at  all  contemplated.  The  snow-bank  upon  which  the 
Flying  Fish  rested  proved  to  be  the  only  even  approxi- 
mately level  spot  at  that  elevation;  the  rocks  rising  almost 
sheer  above  them  everywhere,  with  only  an  occasional 
crevice  here  and  there  by  way  of  foothold,  and  in  many 
places  the  precipice  was  coated  with  treacherous  frozen 
snow,  sometimes  tenacious  enough  to  afford  a  momentary 
support,  but  more  often  crumbling  away  beneath  the 
weight  of  the  body.  Slowly  and  steadily,  however,  they 
worked  their  way  upward — now  occupying  perhaps  five 
minutes  to  advance  as  many  feet,  and  anon  hitting  upon 
a  favourable  spot  where  twenty  or  thirty  feet  might  be 
gained  in  a  single  minute.  At  length,  after  a  toilsome 
and  hazardous  climb  of  more  than  an  hour's  duration,  the 
baronet  found  himself  clinging  to  a  slender  pinnacle  of 
rock  about  seven  feet  high  and  four  feet  in  diameter, 
upon  the  top  of  which  he  next  moment  triumphantly 
seated  himself.  The  colonel,  the  professor,  and  Mildmay 
speedily  followed,  and  there  they  sat,  undoubtedly  the 
first  human  beings  who  had  ever  reached  the  topmost 
pinnacle  of  Mount  Everest. 

Having  accomplished  the  ascent,  they  now  settled 
themselves  down  as  comfortably  as  they  could  upon  their 
narrow  perch  to  enjoy  at  leisure  the  magnificent  view 
spread  out  around  them,  a  view  such  as  no  human  eye 
had  ever  before  looked  upon,  and  which  even  they  would 
probably  never  have  another  opportunity  of  beholding. 
The  atmosphere,  most  fortunately,  was  exceptionally  clear 
and  transparent,  not  a  vestige  of  cloud  or  vapour  being 
anywhere  visible;  the  view  was  therefore  unobstructed  to 


AN   UNPARALLELED   PROSPECT.  351 

the  very  verge  of  the  horizon,  which  extended  round  them 
in  a  gigantic  circle  measuring  four  hundred  and  eighteen 
miles  in  diameter. 

Northward  of  them  stretched  the  vast  plains  of  Thibet, 
the  only  object  worthy  of  notice  being  the  river  Sampoo, 
which,  although  sixty  miles  distant,  was  distinctly  seen 
as  it  issued  from  the  purplish-gray  haze  of  the  extreme 
distance  on  their  left,  meandering  along  the  plain  beneath 
for  a  visible  distance  of  nearly  two  hundred  miles  before 
its  course  became  ao^ain  lost  in  the  haze  on  their  riofht 
hand.  Right  and  left  of  them  stretched  the  vast  moun- 
tain chain  of  the  Himalayas,  their  wooded  slopes  and 
countless  peaks  and  cones  presenting  a  bewildering  yet 
charming  picture  of  variegated  colour,  sunlight  and  shadow, 
as  they  dwindled  away  on  either  hand  until  all  suggestion 
of  local  colouring  was  swallowed  up  and  lost  in  an  en- 
chanting succession  of  increasingly  pure  and  delicate  soft 
pearly  grays,  which  merged  and  melted  at  last  into  the 
vague  shapeless  all-pervading  purple-gray  of  the  horizon. 
Glancing  immediately  around  and  beneath  them  their 
blood  curdled  and  their  brains  whirled  with  the  vertigo 
which  seized  them  as  they  peered  appalled  and  shrink- 
ingly  down  upon  the  sharp  crags,  the  sheer  precipices, 
the  steeply -sloping  snow- fields  with  their  lower  edges 
generally  overhanging  some  fathomless  abyss,  the  great 
glaciers,  the  awful  crevasses  spanned  here  and  there  by 
crumbling  snow  bridges — the  effect  of  the  scene  being 
heightened  and  intensified  in  its  impressive  grandeur  by 
the  deathlike  silence  which  prevailed,  broken  only  by  the 
occasional  thunderous  roar  of  an  avalanche  far  below. 
The  scene  was  absolutely  fascinating  in  its  appalling  sub- 
limity; but  it  was  a  relief  to  turn  the  eye  further  afield 


352  A  CATASTROPHE. 

until  it  rested  to  the  eastward  upon  the  grandly  towering- 
mass  of  Everest's  rival,  snow-capped  Kunchinjinga,  which 
reared  its  giant  crest  aloft  to  a  height  of  twenty-eight 
thousand  five  hundred  feet  above  the  sea-level,  and  which, 
though  it  was  eighty-five  miles  away,  appeared  to  be  al- 
most within  rifle-shot.  And  still  more  was  it  a  relief  to 
turn  the  eye  in  an  opposite  direction,  and  to  allow  it  to 
rest  upon  the  glittering  summit  of  Dhawalagiri,  which, 
at  a  distance  of  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  forty  miles ^ 
gleamed  faint  and  softly  opalescent  out  of  the  western 
haze.  And,  lastly,  to  the  southward  of  them  they  beheld 
the  fertile  province  of  Nepaul,  watered  by  countless  tri- 
butaries to  the  mighty  Ganges;  and,  beyond  it  again,  the 
still  more  fertile  province  of  Oudh.  The  professor,  totally 
forgetful  of  his  exceedingly  perilous  position,  was  enthu- 
siastically expatiating,  after  his  usual  manner,  upon  the 
marvellous  extent  and  beauty  of  the  prospect,  and  inter- 
rupting the  flow  of  his  eloquence  at  short  intervals  to 
assure  his  companions  that  a — to  them — invisible  object 
on  the  far  horizon  must  be  the  town  of  Patna,  when  a 
terrific  crackling  crash  just  below  them  drew  the  eyes  of 
the  party  in  that  direction,  just  in  time  for  them  to  see 
the  supposed  projecting  crag — in  reality  an  enormous  mass 
of  ice — which  supported  the  snow-bank  on  which  the 
Flying  Fish  rested,  break  ofi"  and  go  thundering  down 
into  the  unfathomable  depths  below.  The  spectators 
clung  to  each  other  in  helpless  nerveless  terror  at  so  ap- 
palling a  spectacle  as  the  falling  of  this  mass,  weighing 
probably  millions  of  tons;  but  the  full  significance  and 
import  of  the  catastrophe  did  not  present  itself  to  their 
dazed  and  bewildered  senses  until  they  beheld  the  Flying 
Fishy  after  following  the  falling  mass   for  a  couple  of 


THE    "FLYING   FISH  "   ADRIFT.  353 

hundred  feet,  recover  herself  and  float  jauntily  in  the  air, 
adrift,  at  a  distance  of  fully  two  thousand  feet  from  the 
mountain  side.  Then,  indeed,  the  full  horror  of  their 
position  began  to  slowly  dawn  upon  them,  and  they 
looked  at  each  other  with  eyes  in  which  could  be  read  a 
despair  too  deep  and  too  complete  to  need  or  find  expres- 
sion in  words.  Their  long  search  for  a  landing-place  that 
morning  had  unconsciously  impressed  upon  them  a  fact 
which  now — and  not  till  now — took  intelligible  shape 
within  their  brains,  and  it  was  this:  they  could  descend 
the  mountain  as  far  as  the  spot  at  which  they  had  left 
the  Flying  Fish,  hut  no  further;  beyond  that  point  further 
descent,  with  the  means  at  their  disposal,  was  impossible. 
Which  meant,  in  plain  language  and  few  words,  that, 
sooner  or  later,  they  would  try  to  get  down,  and  either  be 
dashed  to  pieces  in  the  attempt  or  perish  miserably  of  star- 
vation upon  the  edge  of  some  ghastly  impassable  precipice. 

It  took  but  a  moment  for  these  ideas  to  shape  them- 
selves intelligibly,  and  then  a  general  movement  was 
made  to  commence  the  descent  and  thus  cut  short  a  state 
of  suspense  which  would  soon  become  unbearable. 

But  at  this  moment  the  colonel  interposed  with  a  word 
of  caution. 

"  One  moment,"  said  he.  "  Before  we  start  let  each 
one  of  us  clearly  understand  that  perfect  coolness  and 
presence  of  mind  is  imperatively  necessary  if  we  would 
emerge  from  this  strait  alive.  We  may  perhaps  find  a 
way  down  after  all,  but  in  order  to  do  so  we  must  have 
our  wits  completely  about  us;  let  no  man  move,  therefore, 
until  he  has  fully  recovered  the  control  of  his  nerves; 
when  all  have  done  so  we  will  make  a  start,  and  I  will 
go  last." 

(359)  z 


354  A  CHANCE   OF   ESCAPE  YET. 

"And  I  first/'  exclaimed  the  baronet,  "because,  next  to 
you,  I  believe  I  am  the  most  experienced  mountaineer  of 
the  party." 

The  colonel's  little  speech  produced  a  most  beneficial 
effect  upon  the  nerves  of*  the  whole  party,  his  own  in- 
cluded; and  now,  without  further  ado,  a  general  ^tart 
was  made,  the  baronet  going  first  and  directing  and  help- 
ing the  professor,  who  followed  him;  Mildmay  going 
third,  also  helping  von  Schalckenberg,  and  being  helped 
in  his  turn  by  Lethbridge,  and  the  latter  bringing  up  the 
rear. 

The  descent,  owing  to  the  perpendicular  precipices  over 
which  they  had  to  pass,  and  the  extremely  dangerous 
character,  generally,  of  the  road,  proved  to  be  even  more 
tedious  and  difficult  than  the  ascent;  and  within  the  first 
quarter  of  an  hour  (during  which  they  had  accomplished 
only  about  one  hundred  feet  of  perpendicular  descent) 
every  one  of  the  party  had  experienced  at  least  one 
narrow  escape  from  certain  death. 

Steadily,  however,  they  toiled  on;  foot  by  foot  they 
crept  down  the  face  of  the  icy  precipice,  and  at  length 
they  reached  a  ledge  nearly  a  foot  in  width,  upon  which 
the  entire  party  were  enabled  to  pause  for  a  minute  or 
two  to  rest  and  relieve  their  tired  and  quivering  muscles. 

When  their  feet  were  safely  planted  upon  this  ledge 
Mildmay  spoke. 

"I  may  now  venture,"  he  said,  "to  call  your  attention 
to  a  fact  which  I  feared  to  mention  before,  lest  it  should 
upset  the  balance  of  your  nerves  and  produce  a  catastro- 
phe. It  is  this.  The  Flying  Fish,  floating  undisturbed 
in  this  motionless  air,  is,  in  obedience  to  the  la^  of  gravi- 
tation, slowly  but  steadily  being  drawn  in  toward  the 


WILL   THEY   REGAIN   THE   SHIP?  355 

side  of  the  mountain;  and  if — which  God  grant — it  re- 
mains perfectly  calm  up  here  for  another  quarter  of  an 
hour,  she  will  be  once  more  alongside,  and  we  may  yet 
regain  access  to  her.  To  do  this,  however,  we  must  edge 
away  more  toward  the  eastern  side  of  the  mountain, 
where  I  fear  we  shall  encounter  even  greater  difficulties 
than  we  have  yet  met  with.  We  can  but  try,  however, 
and  I  think  the  sooner  we  push  on  the  better." 

"Forward,  then,  at  once,"  cried  the  baronet;  "and  take 
heed  to  your  steps,  my  friends,  for  this  ice  is  terribly 
smooth  and  slippery." 

Once  more  was  the  journey  resumed,  the  baronet 
availing  himself  of  the  ledge,  as  far  as  it  extended,  to 
work  his  way  round  the  shoulder  of  the  hill  in  the 
required  direction;  and  by  the  time  they  reached  a  point 
where  actual  descent  had  again  become  necessary,  they 
had  once  more  come  within  sight  of  the  ship,  and  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  that  she  had  drawn  sensibly  nearer 
to  the  cliff. 

"  All  right,"  exclaimed  Sir  Reginald  cheerfully,  "  I  see 
the  spot  we  must  aim  for — that  pinnacle  of  bare  rock 
yonder,  and  there  is  a  tolerably  easy  road  down  to  it, 
moreover." 

Away  they  now  went,  their  spirits  at  the  very  highest 
pitch  of  exhilaration,  and  their  nerves  by  so  much  the 
steadier,  and  such  rapid  progress  did  they  make  that  ten 
minutes  later  saw  them  clustered  together  clinging  to  the 
rocky  pinnacle  before  mentioned.  And  a  gruesome-enough 
looking  spot  it  was — a  sharp  projecting  point  of  rock 
overhanging  a  sheer  precipice  some  two  hundred  feet 
deep,  with  a  narrow  snow-bank  immediately  beneath, 
and   then   another   frightful    abyss  of   unknown  depth 


356  A   PERILOUS   LEAP. 

beyond.  And,  to  the  right  and  left  of  it,  an  almost 
vertical  face  of  bare  rock  coated  with  smooth,  slippery, 
transparent  ice,  any  attempt  to  traverse  which  would  be 
courting  death  in  its  most  horrible  form. 

The  Flying  Fish  seemed  to  be  drifting  steadily  in 
toward  this  pinnacle  of  rock,  though  at  a  depth  of  some 
twenty  feet  below  it,  and  it  was  resolved  to  pause  there 
and  allow  events  to  develop  somewhat  before  exerting 
themselves  further. 

Slowly,  very  slowly,  the  Flying  Fish  drifted  nearer 
and  nearer  in;  the  little  party  clustered  upon  the  rock 
watching  her  with  bated  breath,  and  every  moment 
dreading  that  a  faint  air  of  wind  might  after  all  waft 
her  beyond  their  reach.  But  nothing  of  the  sort  occurred ; 
in  she  steadily  came,  until  at  last  her  starboard  gangway 
was  immediately  underneath  the  party. 

"  Now  or  never!"  exclaimed  Sir  Reginald.  "  I  am  going 
to  make  a  jump  for  her.  We  shall  scarcely  have  a  better 
chance;  and  a  breeze  may  at  any  moment  sweep  round 
the  face  of  the  rock  and  carry  her  away  from  us.  Leth- 
bridge  and  Mildmay,  let  me  steady  myself  by  your 
shoulders  whilst  I  stand  on  the  extreme  point  of  the 
rock.  Stand  firm,  now;  I  am  about  to  jump.  Are  you 
ready  ?     Then — one — two — three  ! " 

The  body  of  the  baronet  darted  outward  from  the  face 
of  the  rock,  Mildmay  and  the  colonel  retaining  their  foot- 
ing with  the  utmost  difficulty  under  the  recoil  from  the 
outward  impulse;  and  then  the  three  men  left  behind  on 
the  rock  craned  their  necks  over  the  precipice  to  watch 
the  result. 

The  sight  which  met  their  eyes  caused  their  hair  to 
bristle  and  their  blood  to  curdle  with  horror.      Sir  Regi- 


AN   ADVENTURE   ON    MOUNT    EVEREST. 


MISSED.  357 

nald  had  either  miscalculated  his  distance,  or  his  foot  had 
slipped  in  the  act  of  springing,  for  instead  of  alighting  upon 
the  ship's  deck,  as  he  had  intended,  he  had  fallen  on  the 
circular  bilge  of  the  vessel,  from  whence,  after  an  un- 
availing struggle  to  secure  a  footing,  he  slid  off,  and,  with 
a  piercing  scream,  went  whirling  downward  until  he 
alighted  on  the  narrow  snow- hank  some  two  hundred 
feet  below.  His  horror-stricken  companions  fully  ex- 
pected to  see  him  rebound  and  go  plunging  over  the  edge 
of  the  next  precipice,  but  luckily  the  snow  upon  which 
he  had  fallen  was  so  deep  that  his  body  sank  into  it,  and 
there  he  lay,  motionless. 

"Merciful  Heaven,  he  is  killed!"  ejaculated  the  colonel 
with  stammering  lips. 

"Perhaps  not,"  returned  Mildmay;  "at  all  events  we 
will  hope  for  the  best.  Let  me  see  if  I  can  do  better. 
Quick — out  of  the  way — ah!  the  wind  after  all!  We  are 
too  late!" 

And  even  as  he  spoke  the  bows  of  the  Flying  Fish 
swung  slowly  round,  and  her  hull  was  swept  gently  away 
from  the  face  of  the  cliff  by  a  capricious  zephyr  which 
just  then  came  creeping  along  the  mountain  side. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 


HOW  THE  ADVENTURE   TERMINATED. 


HE  silence  of  despair  again  settled  upon  the  three 
remaining  travellers;  they  had  lost  one  of  their 
party,  and  were  a  second  time  left  stranded  upon 
that  terrible  mountain  top,  from  which  it  now  began  to 
appear  that  there  was  no  possibility  of  escape.  One 
thing  at  least  was  certain,  which  was,  that  on  their  side 
of  the  mountain  there  was  no  means  of  further  descent; 
the  pinnacle  of  rock  upon  which  they  then  stood  was  the 
lowest  accessible  point;  there  was  no  possible  way  even 
of  reaching  poor  Sir  Reginald's  body,  and  the  way  down- 
ward, if  indeed  such  existed,  must  be  sought  elsewhere. 

They  crouched  where  they  were,  in  helpless  bewilder- 
ment, watching  the  ship  until  she  slowly  drifted  out  of 
sight  round  a  projecting  bluff;  and  then,  in  a  dazed,  half- 
hearted way,  and  with  nerves  all  unstrung  by  disappoint- 
ment and  the  dreadful  accident  which  had  befallen  the 
baronet,  they  began  to  slowly  retrace  their  steps,  in  the 
faint  hope  of  stumbling  upon  some  means  of  escape. 

Led  this  time  by  the  colonel,  Mildmay  bringing  up  the 
rear,  the  little  party  at  last  made  their  way  back  to  the 
narrow  ledge  where  they  had  previously  paused  to  rest, 
and  here  they  again  made  a  momentary  halt,  afterwards 
following  the  led^^e  in  the  other  direction  until  it  termi- 


BEWILDERED  I  359 

nated  abruptly  in  an  almost  perpendicular  wall  of  smooth 
rock.  Another  ledge  was  here  discovered,  about  eighteen 
feet  further  down,  but  it  was  certainly  not  more  than  a 
foot  wide,  with  apparently  a  vertical  fall  of  several  hun- 
dred feet  beyond.  This  ledge  extended  right  and  left 
beyond  their  range  of  vision,  and  had  evidently  been 
traversed  by  them  in  their  original  ascent,  for  their  foot- 
prints were  plainly  visible  in  the  snow  with  which  it  was 
covered ;  if,  therefore,  they  could  reach  it,  it  would  at 
least  be  possible  to  return  to  their  original  starting-point, 
which  would  certainly  be  something  gained.  But  how 
to  get  down  to  it  was  the  question.  They  had  grown 
bewildered  in  their  gropings  round  about  the  summit, 
and  knew  not  in  which  direction  to  go  to  regain  the  lost 
path.  They  might,  of  course,  go  on  climbing  until  they 
were  once  more  at  the  very  top  of  the  mountain,  and 
commence  their  descent  afresh,  but  this  was  a  task  so 
full  of  difficulty  and  peril  as  not  to  be  thought  of,  save 
as  a  last  resort.  Besides,  the  day  was  already  on  the 
wane,  and  it  was  of  the  utmost  importance  that  they 
should  reach  some  place  of  comparative  safety  before 
nightfall.  At  length  Mildmay  hit  upon  a  bold  though 
terribly  dangerous  mode  of  mastering  the  difficulty. 

"Look  here,"  he  said,  "it  is  no  use  hesitating  here;  we 
shall  never  do  any  good  at  this  rate.  Let  me  offer  a 
suggestion.  I  will  lower  myself  down  over  the  ledge 
until  I  hang  from  it  by  my  hands  alone;  then  you,  Leth- 
bridge,  must  climb  down  over  me,  using  my  body  as  a 
ladder  (or  a  rope,  rather),  and  when  you  are  hanging  at 
arm's-length  from  my  feet  there  will  only  remain  a  very 
trifling  drop  to  the  lower  ledge,  which  you  can  surely 
accomplish  in  safety.  That  done  you  must  stand  by  to 
steady  me  and  prevent  me,  if  possible,  from  going  back- 
ward over  the  precipice;  and,  with  us  two  safely  on  the 


360  A   TERRIBLY  DANGEROUS   EXPERIMENT. 

ledge,  we  are  surely  men  enough  to  catch  the  professor 
when  he  makes  the  drop.     What  say  you  to  the  plan?" 

"It  is  frightfully  dangerous,  but  it  is  perhaps  worth 
trying — if  you  think  you  have  the  strength  for  it.  What 
say  you,  professor?  Have  you  nerve  enough  to  make  the 
drop,  trusting  to  us  to  catch  you?" 

"  An3^thing  is  better  than  this,"  answered  the  profes- 
sor. "  Your  own  and  Mildmay's  are  the  most  difficult 
portions  of  the  task.  If  you  are  equal  to  your  parts  I 
will  perform  mine;  but  my  strength  is  not  sufficient  to 
justify  my  offering  to  change  places  with  either  of  you." 

"  Then  let  us  try  it,"  exclaimed  the  colonel  decisively. 
"Will  you  go  first,  Mildmay,  or  shall  I?" 

"You  go  first,"  answered  Mildmay.  "I  am  pretty 
strong  in  the  arms,  and  think  the  method  I  have  pro- 
posed the  safest,  on  the  whole." 

"  All  right,  then.     I  am  ready  whenever  you  are." 

"  Stand  firm,  then,  and  let  me  steady  myself  down  over 
the  ledge  by  your  leg — we  shall  be  down,  one  way  or 
another,  all  the  sooner.     Now,  look  out,  I  am  going!" 

The  colonel  braced  himself  as  firmly  as  possible  against 
the  strain,  and  Mildmay  lowered  himself  cautiously  down 
until  he  hung  from  the  ledge  by  both  hands.  Then, 
without  wasting  a  moment,  Lethbridge  carefully  placed 
himself  in  position,  got  down  on  his  knees,  lowered  one 
foot  until  it  rested  on  Mildmay's  shoulder,  then  the  other; 
firmly  grasped  the  ledge  with  both  hands,  outside  Mild- 
may's; got  his  knees  down  on  Mildmay's  shoulders,  and 
then,  warning  the  lieutenant  to  hold  firm,  grasped  him 
by  both  wrists  and  proceeded  as  rapidly  and  carefully  as 
possible  to  slide  down  his  body  until  he  hung  to  him  by 
a  firm  hand-grasp  round  the  ankles.  The  muscles  of  poor 
Mildmay's  hands  and  arms  quivered  and  fairly  cracked 
with  the  terrible  strain  thrown  upon  them  during  the 


A   NARROW   ESCAPE  FOR  THE   PROFESSOR.  361 

latter  part  of  this  manoeuvre;  but  he  set  his  teeth  hard, 
remembering  that  the  lives  of  the  whole  party  depended 
upon  him  just  then,  and  hung  on.  It  was  not  for  long. 
The  colonel  paused  only  for  a  moment  to  give  one  down- 
ward glance  at  the  spot  upon  which  he  was  about  to 
drop,  and  then  let  go.  He  pitched  fairly  on  the  ledge, 
slipped,  staggered  for  a  moment,  almost  went  over,  but 
recovered  himself  and  stood  firm.  Then  moving  a  little 
to  one  side  he  prepared  to  receive  Mildmay,  and  gave 
him  the  word  to  drop.  It  came  none  too  soon,  for  the 
lieutenant's  quivering  muscles  were  already  failing  him, 
his  nerveless  fingers  were  already  relaxing  their  grasp, 
and  he  felt  that  he  must  let  go,  whether  or  not,  in  another 
moment.  At  the  cry  from  Lethbridge  he  released  his 
hold,  and  next  moment,  with  the  colonel's  arm  thrown 
firmly  round  his  waist,  stood  safely  on  the  ledge. 

It  was  next  the  professor's  turn;  but  now  that  the 
critical  moment  had  arrived  for  him  too  to  drop  from 
one  ledge  to  another,  the  unwelcome  discovery  was 
made  that  his  nerves  were  unequal  to  the  task,  and  for 
some  time  persuasion,  cajolery,  entreaties,  and  threats 
proved  equally  unavailing  to  tempt  him  to  the  enterprise. 
At  length,  however,  in  a  fit  of  desperation  he  essayed  the 
task,  hurried  over  it,  missed  his  hold,  and  went  whirling 
outward  from  the  face  of  the  cliff*.  In  another  instant  he 
would  have  been  over  the  precipice,  and  plunging  head- 
long downward  to  the  death  which  awaited  him  thou- 
sands of  feet  below,  but  most  fortunately  both  Mildmay 
and  the  colonel  saw  the  mishap,  and  made  a  simultaneous 
snatch  at  him;  the  former  succeeded  in  grasping  him  by 
the  arm,  and,  before  either  of  the  trio  had  time  to  fully 
realize  what  had  actually  happened,  poor  von  Schalcken- 
berg  was  dragged — pale,  breathless,  and  completely  un- 
nerved— in  upon  the  ledge. 


362  A   PLACE  OF  REST. 

A  few  minutes  were  allowed  the  unhappy  professor  in 
which  to  recover  his  presence  of  mind,  and  then  the  little 
party  cautiously  worked  their  way  downward  along  the 
ledge,  finally  arriving  half  an  hour  later  on  the  narrow 
platform  of  ice  which  was  now  all  that  remained  of  the 
plateau  whereon  the  Flying  Fish  had  been  grounded. 

It  had  been  the  intention  of  the  unfortunate  adven- 
turers to  make  a  temporary  halt  here,  for  the  purpose  of 
recruiting  their  exhausted  energies  so  far  as  it  might  be 
done  by  taking  a  few  minutes'  rest,  but  the  ice  was  so 
shivered  by  the  shock  of  its  recent  rupture  as  to  present 
a  very  insecure  appearance,  and  they  were  therefore  con- 
strained to  keep  moving  notwithstanding  their  fatigue. 
Very  fortunately  the  breaking  away  of  the  snow-bank 
had,  in  one  place,  laid  bare  the  surface  of  the  rock,  which 
here  was  very  jagged  and  uneven  (which  would  proba- 
bly account  for  the  original  accumulation  of  the  snow  in 
that  spot),  and  these  irregularities  were  promptly  utilized 
as  a  means  of  further  descent.  By  their  aid  an  addi- 
tional two  hundred  feet  of  downward  movement  was 
slowly  and  painfully  accomplished,  and  then  Mildmay 
(who  was  now  leading  the  way)  found  himself  within  a 
foot  or  two  of  the  lower  edge  of  an  almost  perpendicular 
slope  overhanging  an  awful  abyss  of  unfathomable  depth, 
his  further  progress  downward  being  barred  by  the  fact 
that  beneath  him  the  rock  sloped  inwards!  A  single 
downward  glance  sufficed  not  only  to  reveal  to  him  his 
appalling  situation,  but  also  to  wring  from  his  lips  such 
a  piercing  cry  of  horror  as  effectually  warned  his  friends 
from  following  him  any  further.  Then  he  pressed  his 
body  close  to  the  face  of  the  rock,  and  clung  there  con- 
vulsively with  feet  and  hands  to  the  trifling  irregularities 
of  surface  which  alone  afforded  him  a  hold,  his  blood 
curdling  and  his  brain  reeling  at   the   thought  of  the 


THE    "FLYING   FISH "   AGAIN  IN   SIGHT.  363 

horrible  deadly  danger  which  menaced  him.  A  single 
slip  of  hand  or  foot,  a  momentary  failure  of  a  muscle,  the 
slightest  seizure  of  cramp  or  vertigo,  and  he  would  go 
whirling  headlong  downward  at  least  five  hundred  feet 
sheer  through  the  air  before  reaching  the  ground  below. 
He  was  so  unnerved  that  he  was  actually  incapable  of 
replying  to  the  colonel's  anxious  hail  as  to  what  was  the 
matter. 

It  was  whilst  he  stood  thus  vainly  striving  to  recover 
his  self-control — a  growing  conviction  of  the  impossibility 
of  escape  meanwhile  forcing  itself  with  momentarily  in- 
creasing intensity  upon  him — that  a  huge  moving  mass 
suddenly  swung  into  view  round  a  projection  on  his  left, 
and  a  simultaneous  cry  of  surprise  from  his  two  waiting 
and  wondering  companions  told  that  they  too  had  caught 
sight  of  it.  It  was  the  Flying  Fish  slowly  drifting  round 
the  mountain,  stern  on,  and  that  too  so  closely  that  her 
propeller  actually  touched  the  rocky  projection,  some 
thirty  feet  ofi*,  as  she  passed  it.  The  force  of  the  contact, 
though  very  gentle,  was  sufficient  to  give  her  a  slight 
outward  impulse;  and  though  she  continued  to  drift 
round  toward  the  rock  to  which  the  adventurers  were 
clinging,  it  appeared  as  though  she  would  pass  it  at  such 
a  distance  as  would  just  preclude  the  possibility  of  their 
reaching  her. 

"We  must  shout,"  exclaimed  Mildmay,  finding  his  voice 
all  at  once;  "we  must  shout  to  George.  Perhaps  our  cries 
may  reach  him  and  bring  him  on  deck,  in  which  event 
we  shall  be  able  to  tell  him  what  to  do." 

And  shout  they  did,  simultaneously,  and  at  the  full 
power  of  their  lungs;  but  it  was  of  no  avail  —  George 
and  the  cook  were  both  at  that  moment  in  the  innermost 
recesses  of  the  ship  busily  engaged  on  their  respective 
avocations,  and  in  all  likelihood  profoundly  ignorant  of 


364  MILDMAY   LOSES   HIS   HOLD. 

the  state  of  affairs.  At  all  events  there  was  no  response, 
and  the  ship  went  drifting  slowly  past.  She  was  floating 
almost  level  with  the  little  party  clinging  there  despe- 
rately to  the  face  of  the  naked  rock,  the  boss  of  her  pro- 
peller being  at  just  about  the  same  height  as  the  colonel's 
head.  As  she  drove  almost  imperceptibly  along  it  seemed 
to  Mildmay  that  she  was  also  being  drawn  inward  tow^ard 
the  face  of  the  rock;  and  he  began  to  ask  himself  whether 
an  active  man  might  not,  after  all,  be  able  to  overleap 
the  intervening  space  and  grasp  one  of  the  propeller- 
blades.  The  craft  was  so  tantalizingly  close  that  it 
seemed  to  him  almost  a  cowardly  thing  to  let  this  chance 
pass;  yet,  when  he  glanced  downward  at  the  darkening 
abyss  over  which  he  hung,  he  shudderingiy  confessed  to 
himself  that  the  leap  was  an  impossibility,  and  that  they 
must  retreat  upward  with  all  speed  to  gain  some  com- 
paratively secure  spot  upon  which  to  pass  the  night 
now  gathering  about  them.  He  was  about  to  put  this 
thought  into  words,  and  to  propose  an  immediate  upward 
movement,  when  he  turned  to  take  (as  he  believed)  a  last 
parting  glance  at  the  Flying  Fish,  now  immediately  be- 
hind him.  In  doing  so  his  fingers  slipped  and  lost  their 
grip  upon  the  rock,  and  before  he  could  recover  his  hold 
he  found  himself  going  over  backwards.  He  felt  that  he 
was  lost;  but,  with  the  instinct  of  self-preservation,  turned 
quickly  on  his  feet,  and  as  they  too  were  slipping  off  the 
minute  projections  on  which  he  had  been  supporting  him- 
self, he  made  a  vigorous  desperate  spring  outward  from 
the  face  of  the  rock,  reaching  forward  into  space  toward 
the  curved  end  of  the  propeller-blade  which  he  saw  in 
front  of  him.  Despair  must  have  leant  him  extra  strength 
when  making  that  last  awful  leap,  for,  though  the  dis- 
tance was  fully  twenty  feet,  he  actually  reached  and  suc- 
ceeded in  grasping  the  end  of  the  blade.     To  swing  him- 


THE  MOST  DIFFICULT  TASK  OF  ALL.  365 

self  up  astride  upon  it  was  the  work  of  a  moment;  and 
then  he  paused  to  rest  and  recover  from  this  last  shock  to 
his  nervous  system.  Not  for  long,  however;  he  knew  that 
his  companions  must  be  nearly  exhausted,  and  that  their 
lives  now  probably  depended  solely  on  his  activity  and 
the  celerity  with  which  he  might  be  able  to  go  to  their 
rescue;  so  he  pulled  himself  together,  shouted  to  them  the 
encouraging  news  of  his  success,  and  then  devoted  himself 
in  earnest  to  the  difficult  and  perilous  task  of  reaching  the 
deck  of  the  ship.  He  had  hardly  begun  this  task  before 
he  realized  that  it  was  one  which  would  tax  his  strength, 
energy,  and  ingenuity  to  their  utmost  extent.  The  pro- 
peller-blade upon  which  he  was  perched  happened  to  be 
at  the  very  lowest  point  of  its  revolution;  and  his  first 
task  must  be  to  reach  the  boss,  which  was  about  seven- 
teen feet  above  his  head.  The  peculiar  shape  of  the 
blades  rendered  it  impossible  for  him  to  achieve  this  by 
climbing  up  the  edge  of  any  one  of  them ;  his  only  chance 
consisted  in  working  his  way  from  one  to  the  other.  The 
blade  to  his  right  seemed  to  him  the  most  easily  acces- 
sible, and  he  forthwith  set  about  the  work  of  reaching  it. 
To  do  this  he  had  to  climb  about  ten  feet  up  the  fore 
edge  of  the  blade  upon  which  he  was  perched,  and  to 
anyone  but  a  sailor  this  would  have  been  an  impossi- 
bility. Even  to  Mildmay  it  proved  a  most  difficult  as 
well  as  hazardous  feat;  but  after  a  couple  of  failures 
success  crowned  his  efiTorts,  and  he  found  himself  high 
enough  to  reach  the  point  of  the  next  blade.  This  was 
so  far  away,  however,  that  he  could  only  touch  it  with 
his  finger-tips,  and  in  order  to  grasp  it — even  with  one 
hand — he  found  that  he  would  be  obliged  to  overbalance 
himself  so  much  that,  if  he  missed,  a  fall  must  inevitably 
result.  The  risk  had  to  be  taken,  however;  and  he  took 
it,  fortunately  with  success.     This  left  him  swinging  by 


366  RECOVERY   OF  THE    "FLYING   FISH." 

one  hand  from  the  point  of  the  propeller-blade;  but  in 
another  second  he  had  grasped  it  with  his  other  hand, 
and,  after  a  struggle  or  two,  managed  to  get  fairly  astride 
the  edge.  His  next  task  was  to  work  himself  in  along 
the  edge  until  he  was  abreast  the  after  edga  of  the  blade 
he  had  just  left,  when  he  had  to  reach  over  to  the  utmost 
stretch  of  his  arms,  grasp  the  blade,  and  in  that  awkward 
position  scramble  to  his  feet.  This  he  also  managed,  when 
a  further  comparatively  easy  climb  enabled  him  to  reach 
the  boss.  He  now  found  himself  standing  on  the  boss  and 
leaning  against  the  smooth  elliptical  stern  of  the  vessel. 
His  next  task  was  to  climb  up  over  this  smooth  rounded 
surface  and  so  make  his  way  along  the  upper  surface  of 
the  hull  to  the  superstructure,  when  he  would  soon  find 
means  to  reach  the  deck.  This  also,  though  a  task  of  im- 
mense difficulty,  he  actually  accomplished ;  finally  reaching 
the  deck  in  so  prostrate  a  condition  that  he  fell  insensible 
before  he  could  gain  the  pilot-house. 

His  fit  of  insensibility,  however,  did  not  last  long — 
the  latent  consciousness  of  responsibility  effectually  pre- 
vented that;  and  he  was  soon  able  to  rise  and  stagger  to 
the  pilot-house.  Once  there,  he  forthwith  made  his  way 
below  and  availed  himself  of  the  stimulus  afforded  by  a 
glass  of  neat  brandy,  after  which  he  felt  equal  to  the  task 
which  yet  lay  before  him.  Having  swallowed  the  brandy, 
he  at  once  returned  to  the  deck  and  shifted  the  rope- 
ladder  over  to  the  larboard  gangway.  He  then  looked 
about  him  to  ascertain  the  whereabouts  of  the  ship,  which 
he  found  to  be  about  half  a  mile  distant  from  the  spot 
where  he  had  left  his  friends,  and  gradually  drifting  fur- 
ther away  under  the  influence  of  a  gentle  night -breeze 
which  had  just  sprung  up  —  thus  proving  indubitably 
that,  had  he  not  reached  the  craft  when  he  did,  she 
would  probably  have  been  lost  to  them  all  for  ever.    Hav- 


ENOUGH   OF  MOUNTAIN-CLIMBING.  367 

ing  attached  the  ladder  securely,  Mildmay  next  entered 
the  pilot-house,  and — night  having  by  this  time  com- 
pletely fallen — turned  on  the  electric  lights;  after  which 
he  set  the  engines  in  motion  and  returned  to  the  side  of 
the  mountain  in  search  of  the  two  companions  he  had 
left  clinging  in  so  dangerous  a  situation.  These  were 
found  just  as  he  had  left  them,  and  were  speedily  taken 
on  board — they  too  being  completely  overcome  by  the 
revulsion  of  feeling  following  upon  their  rescue. 

A  glass  of  brandy  each  quickly  revived  them,  how- 
ever, and  then  they  devoted  their  united  energies  to  a 
search  for  the  baronet.  With  some  little  difficulty  the 
scene  of  the  accident  was  discovered;  and  a  minute  or 
two  later  Sir  Reginald  was  observed,  not  dead,  as  they 
had  feared  to  find  him,  but  sitting  up  on  the  snow-bank 
upon  which  he  had  fallen,  a  prisoner  to  the  spot,  from 
the  fact  that  there  was  no  possible  way  of  retreat  from 
it  either  upward  or  downward;  but  in  other  respects 
very  little  the  worse  for  his  terrible  fall,  the  snow,  happily, 
proving  so  deep  that  it  served  as  a  cushion  or  buffer, 
allowing  the  baronet  to  escape  with  only  a  few  some- 
what severe  bruises.  The  adventure  being  thus  happily 
terminated,  the  ship  was  quickly  navigated  to  the  berth 
she  had  occupied  on  the  preceding  night;  and  the  party 
then  sat  down  to  dinner,  over  which  meal  they  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  they  had  had  enough  mountain- 
climbing  that  day  to  suffice  them  for  the  remainder  of 
their  lives. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE   FOUNDERING   OF   THE   ''MERCURY.' 


HE  nerves  of  the  adventurers  were  so  shaken  by 
the  vicissitudes  of    their  day's  adventure  that 
they  found  it  impossible  to  obtain  sound  and 
refreshing  sleep  that  night,  notwithstanding  their  terrible 
fatigue;  their  slumbers  were  broken  by  horrible  dreams, 
and   further  disturbed  by  the  cries   of   wild  beasts   of 
various  descriptions  which  kept  the  forest  in  a  perfect 
uproar  the  whole  night  long.     So  great,  indeed,  was  the 
disturbance  from   the  latter  cause,  that,  on  comparing 
notes  over  the  breakfast  table  next  morning,  the  party 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  must  be  in  a  district 
literally  swarming  with  big  game,  and  that  it  might  be 
worth  their  while  to  spend  a  few  days  there  hunting. 
This  they  did;    with  such  success  that  their  stay  was 
prolonged  for  nearly  a  month,  by  which  time  they  had 
collected  such  a  quantity  of  skins,  horns,  tusks,  skulls, 
and  other  trophies  of  the  chase  that  even  they,  inveterate 
sportsmen  as  they  were,  acknowledged  themselves  satis- 
fied.    The   professor,    meanwhile,   had   devoted    himself 
enthusiastically  to  the  forming  of  a  collection  of  rare 
birds,  beetles,  and  butterflies,  in  which  pursuit  he  had 
been  fully  as  successful  as  his  companions  in  theirs;  so 
that  when  the  time  came  for  them  to  leave  this  delightful 


IN   THE  BAY   OF   BENGAL.  369 

spot  they  did  so  in  the  highest  possible  state  of  health 
and  spirits;  the  remembrance  of  their  ugly  adventure  on 
Everest  disturbing  them  no  more  than  would  the  memory 
of  a  troublesome  dream. 

Their  next  destination  was  the  island  of  Borneo;  and 
they  arranged  their  departure  so  as  to  pass  over  Calcutta 
and  enter  the  Bay  of  Bengal  during  the  hours  of  dark- 
ness, their  intention  being  to  make  the  latter  part  of  the 
trip  by  water  rather  than  by  air. 

They  descended  to  the  surface  of  the  sea  at  daylight, 
the  land  being  at  that  time  invisible  from  the  elevation 
of  ten  thousand  feet  at  which  they  had  been  travelling 
during  the  night.  Not  a  sail  of  any  description  was  in 
sight;  the  sparkling  sea  was  only  moderately  ruffled  by 
the  north-east  monsoon;  and  appearances  seemed  to 
warrant  a  belief  that  the  passage  would  be  a  thoroughly 
pleasant  one.  The  travellers  were  in  no  hurry  whatever, 
and  they  were,  moreover,  longing  for  a  sniff  of  the  good 
wholesome  sea-breeze;  the  Flying  Fish  therefore  pro- 
ceeded very  leisurely  on  her  course,  her  engines  revolving 
dead  slow,  which  gave  her  a  speed  of  about  sixteen  knots 
through  the  water. 

They  proceeded  thus  during  the  whole  of  that  day 
and  the  succeeding  night,  finding  themselves  at  daybreak 
next  mornino^  within  sip'ht  of  one  of  the  lesser  islands  of 
the  Andaman  group.  And  at  this  point  of  their  journey 
a  gradual  fall  of  the  mercury  in  their  barometers  warned 
them  that  they  were  about  to  experience  a  change 
of  weather.  The  atmospheric  indications  remained  un- 
changed, however,  until  about  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, when  the  wind  lulled,  the  mercury  experienced  a 
sudden  further  fall,  and  a  great  mass  of  murky  cloud 
began  to  bank  up  in  the  south-western  quarter.  This 
rapidly  overspread  the  sky,  until  the  whole  of  the  visible 

(359)  2A 


370  THE  BURST   OF  THE  HURRICANE. 

heavens  became  obscured  by  a  thick  curtain  of  flying- 
scud.  The  sea,  inky  black,  suddenly  became  agitated, 
and  formed  itself  into  a  confusion  of  irregular  waves 
without  any  "  run,"  but  which  reared  themselves  trem- 
blingly aloft,  and  then  subsided  again,  only  to  be  instantly 
succeeded  by  others.  The  wind  fell  away  to  a  dead 
calm,  which  continued  for  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
during  which  an  alarmingly  rapid  fall  of  the  mercury, 
combined  with  a  low  weird  moaning  in  the  atmosphere, 
seemed  to  forebode  the  approach  of  some  dire  disaster. 
This  was  followed  by  a  sudden  blast  of  wind  from  the 
eastward — which  came  and  was  gone  again  in  an  instant 
— and  which  preceded  a  brief  but  terrific  downpour  of 
rain.  This  lasted  for  perhaps  three  minutes,  when  it 
ceased  as  suddenly  as  it  had  commenced. 

"Now,  look  out  for  the  wind,"  exclaimed  Mildmay. 
"Ah !  here  it  comes — a  regular  hurricane !  Thank  Heaven, 
there  is  no  sail  to  shorten  on  board  the  Flying  FishT 

He  might  well  say  so;  for  sore  indeed  would  be  the 
plight  of  the  unwary  seaman  who  should  find  himself 
under  similar  circumstances,  unprepared.  A  long  line  of 
white  foam  suddenly  appeared  on  their  starboard  bow, 
racing  down  toward  them  and  spreading  out  right  and 
left  with  frightful  rapidity,  until  the  whole  horizon, 
from  some  four  points  on  the  larboard  bow  right  round 
to  broad  on  their  starboard  beam,  was  marked  by  a  con- 
tinuous line  of  flying  foam  and  spindrift.  They  watched 
with  eager  curiosity  this  remarkable  phenomenon,  noticed 
the  astounding  rapidity  with  which  it  travelled,  and 
saw  that  the  sea  on  their  starboard  hand,  ay,  and  even 
well  on  their  starboard  quarter,  was  lashed  into  a  perfect 
frenzy  by  the  hurricane  before  it  reached  the  ship. 
Then,  with  a  wild  rush  and  a  deafening  roar,  the  gale 
struck  them,  and  the  Flying  Fish — stout  ship  as  she 


A   CYCLONE.  371 

was — fciirly  shuddered  under  the  force  of  the  blow.  In 
an  instant  the  air  became  so  thick  with  the  drivinsf 
scud- water  that  every  window  in  the  pilot-house  had  to 
be  closed  to  prevent  the  inmates  being  drenched  to  the 
skin.  In  less  than  five  minutes  the  deck  was  wet  fore 
and  aft  with  the  flying  spray;  and  before  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  had  elapsed  the  Flying  Fish  was  pitching  her 
fore-deck  clean  under  water. 

At  its  commencement  the  gale  blew  from  about  south- 
east, or  dead  in  their  teeth;  and  the  revolutions  of  the 
engines  were  increased  to  a  rate  which,  under  ordinary 
circumstances,  would  have  given  the  ship  a  speed  of  some 
twenty- five  knots,  but  which  now  drove  her  ahead  at  the 
rate  of  only  some  fifteen  knots  against  the  gale.  As  the 
afternoon  wore  on,  the  wind  gradually  "  backed,"  until,  at 
four  p.m.,  it  was  blowing  from  due  south.  This  confirmed 
Mildmay  in  his  suspicion  that  they  had  fallen  in  with 
one  of  those  most  terrible  of  storms — a  cyclone! 

At  half-past  four  o'clock — at  which  time  the  gale  was 
raging  with  hurricane  force — a  sail  was  made  out,  bearing 
about  one  point  on  the  Flying  Fish's  port  bow,  and 
about  four  miles  distant.  As  well  as  could  be  made  out, 
she  appeared  to  be  barque-rigged;  and,  on  approaching 
her  more  closely,  this  proved  to  be  the  case.  She  was  a 
vessel  of  some  four  hundred  tons  register,  pretty  deep 
in  the  water;  and — though  she  was  hove- to  under  close- 
reefed  fore  and  main  topsails — was  making  frightfully 
bad  weather  of  it,  the  seas  sweeping  clear  and  clean  over 
her,  fore  and  aft,  every  time  she  met  them. 

The  moment  that  the  stranger  was  first  sighted,  Mild- 
may  opened  one  of  the  windows — at  the  risk  of  getting 
drenched  to  the  skin — and  brought  a  telescope  to  bear 
upon  her.  He  had  scarcely  brought  her  within  the  field 
of  vision  when  he  exclaimed  agitatedly: 


372  THE    "MERCURY. 


jj 


"  Good  Heavens !  what  is  the  man  about  ?  He  has 
hove-to  his  ship  on  the  port  tack;  does  he  not  know  he 
is  in  a  cyclone  ? " 

"  What  does  it  matter  which  tack  the  vessel  is  hove-to 
upon?"  asked  Sir  Reginald  with  a  smile  at  Mildmay's 
excitement. 

"  All  the  difference  in  the  world,  my  dear  sir/'  was  the 
reply.  "We  are  in  the  Northern  Hemisphere;  in  which 
— as  you  have  already  had  an  opportunity  of  observing — 
cyclones  invariably  revolve  against  the  apparent  course 
of  the  sun.  A  knowledge  of  this  fact  teaches  the  wary 
seaman  to  heave-to  on  the  starboard  tack ;  by  doing  which 
his  ship  dodges  away  from  the  fatal  centre  or  "eye"  of 
the  storm.  This  fellow,  however,  by  heaving-to  on  the 
port  tack,  is  steadily  nearing  the  centre,  which  must 
eventually  pass  over  him,  when  his  ship  will  be  sud- 
denly becalmed,  only  to  be  struck  aback  a  few  moments 
later,  when  she  will — almost  to  a  dead  certainty — founder 
with  all  hands.  For  Heaven's  sake  let  us  bear  down 
upon  him  and  warn  him  ere  it  be  too  late.  And  we  have 
no  time  to  lose  about  it  either;  for,  if  I  may  judge  from 
the  fury  of  the  gale,  the  centre  of  the  storm  is  not  far  off" 

The  speed  of  the  Flying  Fish  was  promptly  increased, 
her  course  being  at  the  same  time  so  far  altered  as  to 
admit  of  her  intercepting  the  barque,  and  a  few  minutes 
later  she  passed  under  the  stranger's  stern  and  hauled 
close  up  on  her  weather  quarter,  the  travellers  thus  hav- 
ing an  opportunity  of  ascertaining  the  name  of  the  vessel, 
which  proved  to  be  the  Mercury  of  Bristol.  They  were 
now  also  able  to  realize  more  fully  than  they  had  yet 
the  tremendous  strength  of  the  gale  and  power  of  the 
sea;  the  unfortunate  barque  careening  gunwale-to  under 
the  pressure  of  the  wind  upon  her  scanty  canvas,  whilst 
the  sea  deluged  her  decks  fore  and  aft;  the  whole  of  her 


A   SURLY   INDIVIDUAL.  373 

lee  and  a  considerable  portion  of  her  weather  bulwarks 
having  already  been  carried  away,  together  with  her 
spare  spars;  whilst  every  sea  which  broke  on  board  her 
swept  something  or  other  off  the  deck  and  into  the  sea 
to  leeward.  The  long-boat  and  pinnace,  stowed  over  the 
main  hatchway,  were  stove  and  rendered  unserviceable; 
and,  even  as  the  Flying  Fish  ranged  up  alongside,  their 
destruction  was  completed  and  their  shattered  planks  and 
timbers  torn  out  of  the  "  gripes/'  The  crew  of  the  ship 
had,  for  safety's  sake,  assembled  aft  on  the  full  poop;  and 
among  them  could  be  seen  a  female  figure  crouching  down 
under  the  meagre  shelter  of  the  cabin  skylight  evidently 
in  a  state  of  extreme  terror. 

"You  go  out  and  hail  them,  Mildmay;  you  know  what 
to  say,"  remarked  Sir  Reginald,  as  he  steered  the  Flying 
Fish  into  a  favourable  position  for  communicating. 

The  lieutenant  needed  no  second  bidding;  he  felt  that 
the  crisis  was  imminent;  and,  stepping  out  on  deck,  where 
he  had  to  cling  tightly  to  the  lee  guard-rail  to  escape 
being  washed  overboard,  he  hailed: 

"  Barque  ahoy!  do  you  know  that  you  are  in  a  cyclone, 
and  hove-to  on  the  wrong  tack?  I  would  very  strongly 
advise  you  to  wear  round  at  once  and  get  the  ship  on  the 
starboard  tack.  If  the  eye  of  the  storm  catches  you  you 
will  surely  founder." 

To  his  intense  astonishment  an  answer  came  back — 
from  a  great  black-bearded  savage-looking  fellow — 
couched  in  the  words,  as  nearly  as  he  could  make  them 
out  for  the  howling  of  the  wind  and  the  rush  of  the  sea: 

"  You  mind  your  own  business!  Nobody  on  board  this 
ship  wants  your  advice." 

"  But  I  am  giving  it  you  for  your  own  safety's  sake, 
and  that  of  the  ship,"  persisted  Mildmay. 

The  answer  was  unintellicrible,  but,  as  it  was  accom- 


374  STRUCK  aback! 

panied  by  an  impatient  wave  of  the  hand  and  a  turning 
of  the  speaker's  back  upon  him,  Mildmay  rightly  con- 
cluded that  the  individual  was  one  of  those  obstinate, 
pig-headed  people,  who,  having  once  made  a  mistake,  will 
persist  in  it  at  all  hazards  rather  than  take  advice,  and 
so  admit  the  possibility  of  their  having  done  wrong;  he 
accordingly  turned  away  somewhat  disgusted,  and  made 
his  way  back  to  the  shelter  of  the  pilot-house. 

The  lieutenant  was  in  the  act  of  describing  to  his  com- 
panions the  unsatisfactory  nature  of  the  foregoing  brief 
colloquy,  when  suddenly — instantaneously — there  oc- 
curred an  awful  pause  in  the  fury  of  the  hurricane;  the 
wind  lulled  at  once  to  a  dead  calm;  the  air  cleared;  the 
sea,  no  longer  thrashed  down  by  the  gale,  reared  itself 
aloft  as  though  it  would  scale  the  very  heavens;  and  the 
canvas  of  the  barque  flapped  with  a  single  loud  thun- 
derous report  as  she  rolled  heavily  to  windward. 

"Now,  look  out!"  gasped  Mildmay.  And,  even  as  the 
w^ords  escaped  his  lips,  down  came  the  hurricane  again 
in  a  sudden  mad  burst  of  relentless  fury;  but  now  the 
wind  blew  from  the  northward,  the  point  of  the  com- 
pass exactly  opposite  that  from  which  it  had  been  blow- 
ing a  minute  before. 

The  Flying  Fish,  having  neither  sails  nor  spars  exposed 
to  the  blast,  received  this  second  stroke  of  the  gale  with 
impunity;  but  with  the  devoted  barque  it  was,  alas,  very 
different.  She  was  struck  flat  aback  and  borne  irresis- 
tibly over  on  her  beam- ends,  gathering  stern- way  at  the 
same  time.  The  crew,  at  last  fully  alive  to  the  extreme 
peril  of  their  situation,  scrambled  along  the  deck  and 
made  their  way  to  the  braces  in  a  futile  attempt  to  haul 
round  the  yards,  the  helmsman  at  the  same  time  jamming 
the  wheel  hard  down  that  the  ship  might  have  a  chance 
to  pay  off.    The  yards,  however,  were  jammed  fast  against 


FOUNDERING,    STERN   FOREMOST.  375 

the  weather  rigging,  and  could  not  be  moved;  neither 
would  the  ship's  head  pay  off*;  meanwhile,  her  stern-way 
was  rapidly  increasing,  the  sea  already  foaming  up  level 
with  her  taffrail;  and  presently  it  curled  in  over  her  lee 
quarter,  sweeping  in  a  steadily  increasing  volume  along 
her  deck.  The  catastrophe  which  followed  took  place 
with  startling  rapidity.  The  stern  of  the  barque,  now 
buried  beneath  the  surge,  seemed  at  once  to  lose  all  its 
buoyancy,  and,  powerfully  depressed  by  the  leverage  of 
the  topsails  on  the  masts,  plunged  at  once  deeply  below 
the  surface  of  the  hungrily  leaping  sea,  the  rest  of  the 
hull  following  so  quickly  that,  before  the  horrified  spec- 
tators in  the  Flying  Fish's  pilot-house  fully  realized  what 
was  happening,  the  entire  hull  had  disappeared,  the  masts, 
yards,  and  top-hamper  generally  only  remaining  in  sight  a 
moment  longer,  as  though  to  impress  upon  them  unmistak- 
ably the  fact  that  a  ship  was  foundering  before  their  eyes 

"Come  back  and  close  the  door!"  thundered  Sii 
Reginald  to  Mildmay,  laying  his  hand  upon  certain  valve^ 
handles  as  the  lieutenant  sprang  out  on  deck,  urged  by 
some  indefinite  purpose  of  rendering  help  where  help  was 
obviously  no  longer  possible. 

Mildmay  stood  for  a  moment,  as  one  in  a  dream,  watch- 
ing the  submergence  of  the  ill-fated  Mercury  s  jib-boom 
end  and  fore-topgallant  mast-head  (the  last  of  her  spars 
to  disappear)  beneath  the  swirl  where  her  hull  had  just 
vanished,  and  then,  dazedly,  he  obeyed  the  baronet's 
sharply  reiterated  command. 

No  sooner  did  the  door  clang  to  than  Sir  Eeginald 
rapidly  threw  open  all  the  valves  of  the  water  chambers, 
and  the  Flying  Fish  at  once  began  to  follow  the  barque 
to  the  bottom.  In  less  than  five  seconds  the  travellers 
found  themselves  clear  of  all  the  wild  commotion  raging 
on   the   surface,    and    descending   silently,   rapidly,   yet 


376  A  TERRIBLE   SCENE. 

steadily  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  recesses  of  the  cool 
twilight  which  prevailed  around  them,  deepest  blue  below 
and  an  ever-darkening  green  above.  They  quickly  over- 
took the  Mercury  and  continued  the  descent  almost  side 
by  side  with  her,  watching,  with  awe-struck  curiosity  yet 
overwhelming  pity  and  horror,  the  death-struggles  of  those 
who  were  being  helplessly  dragged  down  with  her.  They 
observed,  with  a  feeling  of  intense  relief,  that  the  struggle 
for  life  ceased,  in  almost  every  case,  in  less  than  a  minute, 
the  expression  of  horror  on  the  dying  men's  faces  passing 
away  still  earlier  and  giving  place  to  one  of  profound 
peace  and  contentment;  thus  confirming,  to  a  great 
extent  the  current  belief  that  death  by  drowning  is  a 
painless  mode  of  dissolution. 

The  crew  had,  without  exception,  at  the  moment  of  the 
barque's  foundering,  grasped  some  rope  or  other  portion 
of  the  vessel's  equipment,  the  death-clutch  upon  which 
was  in  no  single  instance  relaxed;  hence  they  were,  one 
and  all,  dragged  hopelessly  to  the  bottom  with  the  wreck. 
With  the  female,  however,  it  was  different.  She  had  been 
crouching  in  a  kneeling  attitude  upon  the  deck,  under 
the  imperfect  shelter  of  the  cabin  skylight,  and  when  the 
poop  deck  became  submerged  she  was  swept  forward, 
still  in  the  same  attitude,  with  her  hands  clasped  as  in 
prayer,  until  her  body  was  washed  clear  of  the  poop  rail, 
when  the  suction  of  the  sinking  ship  dragged  her  below 
the  surface.  As  the  hull  of  the  barque  settled  down  it 
gradually  recovered  its  balance  and  assumed  an  almost 
level  position,  due,  to  some  extent,  no  doubt,  to  the 
pressure  of  the  water  upon  the  sails;  and,  with  every 
fathom  of  descent,  the  downward  motion  grew  increas- 
ingly slower.  The  wreck  had  sunk  to  a  depth  of  perhaps 
twenty  or  five-and-twenty  fathoms,  when  the  absorbed 
spectators  in  the  Flying  Fish's  pilot-house  were  startled 


SAVED   FROM   THE  WRECK.  377 

by  observing  a  sudden  convulsive  motion  in  the  body  of 
the  female.  Her  hands  were  unclasped,  her  arms  were 
flung  wildly  out  above  her  head,  and  her  body  was  slowly 
straightened  out.  At  the  same  moment  the  space  between 
her  and  the  sinking  wreck  widened;  the  vessel  was  sink- 
ing more  rapidly  than  the  body.  The  descent  of  the 
Flying  Fish  was  instantly  checked,  and  in  another 
moment  it  became  apparent  that  the  body  was  rising  to 
the  surface. 

In  eager,  breathless  anxiety  the  watchers  noted  the 
steady  downward  progress  of  the  Mercury  s  spars  and 
cordage  past  the  now  struggling  form  of  the  woman, 
victims  of  alternate  dismay  and  hope  as  they  saw  the 
body  now  fouled  by  some  portion  of  the  complicated 
net- work  of  standing  and  running  gear  between  the  main 
and  mizzen  masts,  and  anon  drifting  clear  of  it  again. 
A  few  seconds,  which  to  the  quartette  in  the  pilot-house 
seemed  spun  out  to  the  duration  of  ages,  and  the  last  of 
these  perils  was  evaded,  upon  which  the  body,  still  feebly 
struggling,  resumed  its  upward  journey. 

With  a  great  sigh  of  intense  relief,  echoed  by  each  of 
his  companions,  Sir  Eeginald  swiftly  backed  the  Flying 
Fish  astern,  causing  her  at  the  same  time,  by  a  movement 
of  the  tiller,  to  swerve  with  her  bow  directly  toward  the 
body,  now  some  five  or  six  feet  above  the  level  of  the  deck. 
Then,  quick  as  thought,  the  ship  was  sent  ahead  until  her 
deck  was  immediately  beneath  the  body,  when,  the  valves 
of  the  air  and  water  chambers  being  simultaneously 
thrown  open,  she  rushed  upward  to  the  surface,  over- 
taking the  drowning  woman  and  carrying  her  upward 
also. 

In  another  instant,  a  vacuum  having  been  created  in 
the  air-chambers,  the  Flying  Fish  broke  water  with  a 
tremendous  rush  and  swirl,  and,  without  a  moment's  pause, 


378  "WE  HAVE  SAVED   HER,    I   BELIEVE." 

rose  into  the  air,  the  senseless  body  on  deck  being  pre- 
vented from  washing  off  again  only  by  the  guard-rail 
which  stood  in  place  of  bulwarks. 

"Take  charge,  please,  and  do  not  rise  too  high," 
hurriedly  exclaimed  the  baronet  to  Mildmay,  springing, 
as  he  spoke,  for  the  door  of  the  pilot-house,  which  he 
flung  open,  rushing  out  on  deck  and  seizing  the  body  as 
though  fearful  that  it  might  yet  be  snatched  away  from 
him. 

Gently  raising  it  in  his  arms  he  turned  and  bore  the 
slender  form  to  the  shelter  of  the  pilot-house,  at  the  door 
of  which  he  was  met  by  the  professor,  who  felt  that  his 
medical  skill  might  yet  perhaps  serve  the  unfortunate 
girl  in  good  stead.  Together  they  conveyed  her  below  to 
one  of  the  state-rooms,  and,  without  a  moment's  loss  of 
time,  the  most  approved  methods  of  resuscitation  were 
vigorously  resorted  to.  For  fully  half  an  hour  their 
utmost  efforts  proved  all  unavailing;  but  von  Schalcken- 
berg  so  positively  asserted  life  was  not  extinct  that  they 
persevered,  and  at  length  a  slight  return  of  warmth  to 
the  body  and  colour  to  the  lips,  followed  by  a  fluttering 
sigh,  assured  them  that  success  was  about  to  reward  their 
endeavours.  Another  minute,  and  a  pair  of  glorious  brown 
eyes  were  disclosed  by  their  opening  lids,  a  faint  moan 
escaped  the  quivering  lips,  the  head  moved  uneasily 
upon  the  pillow,  and  the  sufferer  murmured  a  few  inar- 
ticulate words. 

"  Thank  God,  we  have  saved  her,  I  believe,"  ejaculated 
Sir  Reginald,  in  a  whisper,  to  the  professor.  "Now,  doctor, 
I  will  retire  and  leave  you  to  complete  her  restoration,  so 
that  the  poor  girl  may  be  spared  embarrassment  as  far 
as  possible  on  the  full  recovery  of  consciousness.  But  I 
shall  establish  myself  outside  the  door  of  the  state-room, 
within  easy  reach  of  your  voice  should  you  need  anything; 


RESCUED  AND  RESCUERS.  379 

and  do  not  forget  that  the  whole  resources  of  the  ship 
are  at  your  absolute  disposal." 

"All  right/'  answered  the  professor.  "Now  go,  for  the 
patient  is  coming  to  herself  rapidly." 

Half  an  hour  later  von  Schalckenberg  crept  out  on  tip- 
toe, his  kindly  face  beaming  and  his  eyes  sparkling  with 
exultation. 

"  It  is  all  right,"  he  whispered  in  his  broadest  German- 
English.  "  I  have  fully  restored  the  circulation,  and  the 
young  patient  is  now  in  a  sound  sleep,  from  which  she 
must  not  be  disturbed  on  any  account.  I  shall  keep 
watch  by  her  side,  and  when  she  awakes  you  shall  all  be 
duly  informed  of  the  circumstance.  You  may  now  go  about 
your  business,  my  good  friend,  your  services  are  no  longer 
required  here." 

The  worthy  professor  kept  sedulous  watch  over  his 
patient  until  satisfied  that  she  was  completely  out  of 
danger,  presenting  her  to  his  companions  only  when 
they  assembled  in  the  saloon  for  dinner  some  four-and- 
twenty  hours  after  the  catastrophe  which  had  thrown 
her  into  their  society. 

The  colonel  and  Mildmay  were  stricken  absolutely, 
though  only  temporarily,  dumb  with  astonishment  and 
admiration  at  the  vision  of  remarkable  beauty  which 
met  their  gaze  as  the  saloon  door  opened,  and  von  Schalck- 
enberg, stepping  hastily  forward  with  a  most  courtly 
bow,  met  the  fair  stranger  at  the  threshold,  taking  her 
hand  and  leading  her  forward  into  the  apartment  pre- 
liminary to  the  ceremony  of  introduction.  Even  Sir 
Reginald,  though  he  had  not  failed  to  notice  the  beauty 
of  the  pale  and  apparently  lifeless  girl  he  had  raised  from 
the  wet  deck  and  borne  so  carefully  below  on  the  preced- 
ing evening,  was  startled  at  her  radiant  loveliness  as  she, 
somewhat  shrinkingly  and  with  a  momentary  vivid  blush, 


380  OLIVIA  d'arcy. 

responded  to  the  introductions  and  congratulatory  greet- 
ings which  immediately  followed.  All  night  long,  and 
throughout  the  day,  she  had  been  haunted  by  the  dreamy 
recollection  of  another  face  than  that  of  the  kindly  pro- 
fessor who  had  so  assiduously  nursed  her  back  to  life — 
a  bronzed  handsome  face,  with  tender  pitiful  blue  eyes, 
close-cut  auburn  hair  clustering  wavily  about  the  small 
shapely  head,  and  luxuriant  auburn  moustache  and  beard, 
bending  anxiously  over  her  as  she  lay  weak,  helpless, 
suffering,  and  with  the  feebly-returning  consciousness  of 
having  recently  experienced  some  terrible  calamity;  of 
having  passed  through  some  awful  and  harrowing  ordeal; 
and  now,  as  she  gave  her  hand  to  Sir  Reginald,  and  shyly 
glanced  up  into  his  handsome  face  and  read  the  tender 
sympathy  for  her  expressed  by  the  kindly  blue  eyes,  she 
recognized  the  embodiment  of  the  vision  which  had 
haunted  her  so  persistently,  and  knew  that  she  had  not 
been  merely  dreaming.  The  circumstances  in  which  she 
thus  found  herself  placed  were  certainly  somewhat  em- 
barrassing; but,  with  the  tact  of  a  true  gentleman,  Sir 
Reginald  at  once  led  the  conversation  into  a  channel 
w^hich  soon  made  the  poor  girl  forget  her  embarrassment, 
and  almost  immediately  afterwards  the  party  sat  down 
to  dinner. 

During  the  progress  of  this  meal — which,  however,  their 
guest  scarcely  tasted — the  gentlemen  were  made  aware  of 
the  circumstances  which  led  to  this  lovely  girl  being 
thrown,  helpless  and  friendless,  into  their  society  and 
upon  their  hospitality. 

Her  name,  she  informed  them,  was  Olivia  D'Arcy. 
She  was  an  orphan.  Her  brother,  formerly  a  lieutenant 
in  the  royal  navy,  had  been  compelled  by  straitened  cir- 
cumstances to  quit  the  service  and  enter  the  mercantile 
marine,  in  which  he  had  without  much  difficulty  succeeded 


A   VERY   SAD   STORY.  381 

in  securing  a  command.  By  practising  the  most  rigid 
economy  he  had  contrived  to  maintain  his  only  sister, 
Olivia,  and  educate  her  at  a  first-class  school,  and  on  her 
education  being  completed  he  had  decided,  as  the  simplest 
way  out  of  many  difficulties,  financial  and  otherwise,  to 
take  her  to  sea  with  him.  This  had  been  her  first  voyage 
with  him,  as  it  had  been  his  first  in  command  of  the 
Mercury.  The  ship  had  been  to  Manilla,  and  at  the  time 
of  her  loss  was  homeward-bound,  with  instructions  to  call 
at  Madras  en  route.  The  voyage  had  been  an  unfortunate 
one  in  many  respects,  even  from  its  commencement,  and 
Olivia  thought  the  climax  had  been  reached  when,  a 
week  before  her  wreck,  the  Mercury  had  been  attacked 
by  pirates  in  the  Straits  of  Malacca,  and  her  brother  slain 
by  the  pirates'  last  shot,  as  they  retired  defeated.  The 
cruel  shot,  she  declared  in  a  burst  of  uncontrollable  grief, 
had  robbed  her,  in  her  brother,  of  her  sole  relative;  and 
whilst  she  was  deeply  grateful  to  those  she  addressed  for 
preserving  her  life,  she  felt  that  it  would  perhaps  have 
been  better  for  her  had  she  been  allowed  to  perish. 

Such  a  story  was  calculated  to  excite  the  deepest  sym- 
pathy and  commiseration  in  the  breasts  of  those  who 
listened  to  it;  and  it  did;  in  Sir  Reginald's  case,  indeed, 
the  feeling  was  even  warmer  than  either  of  those  men- 
tioned, especially  when  he  learned,  upon  further  inquiry, 
that  Olivia  s  brother  had  been  none  other  than  the  George 
D'Arcy  who,  in  the  days  of  their  mutual  boyhood,  had 
fought  many  a  battle  on  his  behalf  at  Eton  when  certain 
first-form  bullies  had  shown  a  disposition  to  tyrannize 
over  the  then  delicate  curly-headed  "Miss  Reggie"  (as 
Elphinstone  was  dubbed  when  he  first  entered  the  school), 
and  the  sorrowing  girl  was  assured  that,  so  far  from  being 
friendless,  she  would  find  in  her  then  companions  four 
men  upon  whom  she  might  always  rely  for  the  warmest 


382  A  CHANGE   OF  PLANS. 

sympathy,  the  most  kindly  counsel,  and  the  most  sub- 
stantial help  so  long  as  their  lives  might  last. 

The  accession  of  such  a  guest  as  Olivia  D'Arcy  to  the 
little  party  on  board  the  Flying  Fish  occasioned,  it  will 
readily  be  understood,  a  complete  and  immediate  change 
in  all  their  plans.  In  the  first  moment  that  they  gave 
to  the  consideration  of  the  matter  they  saw  that  it  would 
never  do  for  a  young,  beautiful,  and  unprotected  girl  to 
accompany  them  hither  and  thither  in  their  wanderings, 
even  were  she  willing  to  do  so,  which  they  felt  well 
assured  she  would  not  be.  Two  alternatives  then  pre- 
sented themselves  to  the  choice  of  the  party:  the  one 
being  to  land  her  at  the  nearest  port,  and,  furnishing  her 
with  the  necessary  means,  leave  her  to  make  her  way  to 
England  alone  and  unprotected  as  best  she  could;  the 
other  alternative  involving  the  temporary  abandonment 
of  their  further  projects  and  the  immediate  return  of  the 
Flying  Fish  to  England.  The  first  project  was  named 
only  to  be  abruptly  and  unanimously  rejected  by  the  en- 
tire party,  the  second  being  gladly  adopted  by  Sir  Eegi- 
nald  upon  his  receiving  from  his  three  friends  the  assur- 
ance of  their  hearty  approval  and  acquiescence. 

This  decision  was  arrived  at  shortly  before  midnight 
on  the  evening  following  Olivia  s  formal  introduction  by 
the  professor  to  the  remaining  members  of  the  party,  and 
thereupon — the  Flying  Fish  being  at  the  time  afloat  and 
making  her  way  leisurely  southward  toward  the  Straits 
of  Malacca — an  ascent  to  the  upper  regions  of  the  atmo- 
sphere was  at  once  made,  and  the  ship's  head  pointed 
homeward.  The  distance  to  be  traversed  was  consider- 
able, but  it  was  calculated  that  by  travelling  at  the  ship  s 
utmost  speed  along  the  arc  of  a  great  circle  (the  shortest 
possible  route  between  any  two  places  on  the  earth's  sur- 
face), the  journey  might  be  accomplished  in  about  forty- 


AT  HOME   ONCE   MORE.  383 

five  hours,  which,  allowing  for  the  difference  of  longitude 
in  time  between  their  then  position  and  the  Eno-lish 
Channel,  would  enable  them  to  reach  the  latter  place  at 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  but  one 
following.  This  was  rather  an  awkward  time,  if  they 
still  intended  to  maintain  their  secrecy  of  movement  and 
avoid  observation,  but  under  the  circumstances  they 
resolved  to  risk  it.  Soaring,  therefore,  to  a  height  of 
ten  thousand  feet — the  elevation  which  experience  had 
taught  them  to  be  most  suitable  for  the  performance  of 
long-distance  journeys — the  Flying  Fish  was  put  to  her 
utmost  speed,  and,  with  the  gentlemen  keeping  watch  by 
turns  in  the  pilot-house,  the  journey  was  commenced. 

Swiftly  the  wonderful  fabric  sped  forward  upon  her 
homeward  way,  and,  without  incident  of  any  kind  worthy 
of  mention,  and  almost  at  the  very  minute  calculated  upon, 
the  waters  of  the  English  Channel  were  sighted;  an  unob- 
served descent  being  effected  some  twenty  miles  seaward 
of  the  little  town  of  Saint  Yalery  on  the  French  coast. 
A  course  was  now  shaped  for  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and,  a 
few  hours  later,  one  of  the  boats  belonging  to  the  Flying 
Fish  quietly  glided  into  Portsmouth  harbour  in  charge  of 
Lieutenant  Mildmay.  Three  passengers — Olivia  D'Arcy, 
the  professor,  and  Colonel  Lethbridge — landed  from  her 
without  attracting  any  attention,  and  found  themselves 
iust  in  good  time  to  take  the  London  express,  which  they 
did,  Mildmay  making  his  solitary  way  out  of  the  harbour 
again  immediately. 

In  accordance  with  arrangements  previously  made  by 
Sir  Reginald,  Miss  D'Arcy  was  escorted  by  her  two 
cavaliers  straight  to  the  town  residence  of  a  certain  aunt 
of  the  baronet's,  and  handed  over  to  the  care  and  pro- 
tection of  the  old  lady,  with  whom  (to  make  short  of  a 
long  story)  for  the  ensuing  twelve  months  she  found  a 


384  CONCLUSION. 

most  comfortable  and  happy  home;  Sir  Reginald  and 
Mildmay  turning  up  in  town  two  days  later  laden  with 
their  African  spoils,  the  equitable  division  of  which,  and 
their  ultimate  disposal,  occupied  the  party  for  several 
months. 

Thus  ended  the  cruise  of  the  Flying  Fish.  What 
remains  to  be  told  may  be  said  in  a  very  few  words. 
Will  the  sagacious  reader  be  very  much  surprised  to  learn 
that  Sir  Reginald  Elphinstone  suddenly  discovered,  in  the 
aunt  who  had  kindly  taken  Olivia  D'Arcy  under  her  pro- 
tection, an  old  lady  whose  good  graces  were  worth  the 
most  assiduous  cultivation?  Such,  at  all  events,  was  the 
fact,  and,  this  much  having  been  stated,  the  aforesaid 
sagacious  reader  will  perhaps  be  not  altogether  unpre- 
pared to  learn  that,  about  a  year  after  the  return  of  the 
Flying  Fish  to  England,  a  wedding  took  place  from  that 
old  lady's  house;  in  which  ceremony  Olivia  enacted  most 
charmingly  the  part  of  bride,  with  Sir  Reginald  as  bride- 
groom, supported  by  the  three  staunch  friends  who  had 
shared  with  him  so  many  perils. 

And  what  about  the  Flying  Fish,  does  somebody  ask? 
When  last  heard  of  she  was — where  she  probably  still  is — 
lying  safe  and  unsuspected  at  the  bottom  of  the  "  Hurd 
Deep,"  in  the  identical  spot  where  she  made  her  first  de- 
scent into  the  waters  of  the  English  Channel. 

Whether  she  will  ever  again  be  put  into  commission — 
and,  if  so,  under  what  circumstances — time  alone  will 
show. 

THE   END. 


"More  suitable  books,  especially  for  boys,  it  would  be  impossible  to  imagine.  Whether 
of  adventure,  school  life,  or  domestic  interest,  every  story  is  alike  marked  with  those  wholesome 
and  robust  characteristics  which  form  so  valuable  a  feature  in  juvenile  literature."— C/irw/;«aj 
Bookseller. 


CRIBNER  &  MELFORD'S 


Catalogue  of  Books 


FOR 


YOUNG    PEOPLE. 


INCLUDING  NEW  WORKS 

BY 

G.  A.   HENTY,  G.   M.    FENN,   S.    BARING -GOULD,   F.    FRANKFORT  MOORE, 

HARRY  COLLI NGWOOD,   ROSA  MULHOLLAND,   SARAH  DOUDNEY, 

ALICE  CORKRAN,  AND  OTHER  POPULAR  AUTHORS. 


743    BROADWAY,    NEW    YORK. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOU  NO  PEOPLE. 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY. 

Here  we  have  Mr.  George  Henty— the  Boys'  Own  Author."— PmicA. 


WITH   LEE    IN    VIRGINIA: 

A  Story  of  the  American  Civil  War.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
10  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  and  6  Maps. 
Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 
Few  great  wars  have  been  fought  out  by  each  side  with  greater  intensity 
of  conviction  in  the  rightness  of  its  cause  or  with  more  abundant  personal 
heroism  than  the  American  civil  war ;  and  it  is  natural  that  the  renewed 
interest  in  its  details,  which  has  been  manifested  during  the  last  two  or 
three  years,  should  have  attracted  writers  of  fiction  to  so  admirable  a  ground. 
Of  this  heroic  clash  of  opposing  conviction  Mr.  Henty  has  made  admirable 
use  in  this  story  of  a  young  Virginian  planter,  who,  after  bravely  proving 
his  sympathy  with  the  slaves  of  brutal  masters,  serves  with  no  less  courage 
and  enthusiasm  under  Lee  and  Jackson  through  the  most  exciting  events  of 
the  struggle.  He  has  many  hairbreadth  escapes,  is  several  times  wounded 
and  twice  taken  prisoner;  but  his  courage  and  readiness  and,  in  two  cases, 
the  devotion  of  a  black  servant  and  of  a  runaway  slave  whom  he  had 
assisted  bring  him  safely  through  all  difficulties.  Mr.  Henty  has  in  no 
case  been  more  successful  in  interweaving  an  exciting  personal  narrative 
with  important  historic  events. 

BONNIE   PRINCE    CHARLIE: 

A  Tale  of  Fontenoy  and  CuUoden.  By  G  A.  Henty.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

The  adventures  of  the  son  of  a  Scotch  officer  in  French  service  who  had 
secretly  married  the  daughter  of  a  noble.  The  boy,  brought  up  by  a 
Glasgow  bailie,  is  arrested  for  aiding  a  Jacobite  agent,  escapes  in  a  Dutch 
ship,  is  wrecked  on  the  French  coast,  reaches  Paris,  and  serves  with  the 
French  army  at  Dettingen.  Having  discovered  the  convent  in  which  his 
mother  is  imprisoned,  he  establishes  communication  with  her,  and  succeeds 
in  obtaining  through  Marshal  Saxe  the  release  of  both  his  parents.  He 
kills  his  father's  foe  in  a  duel,  and  escaping  to  the  coast,  shares  the  ad- 
ventures of  Prince  Charlie,  but  finally  settles  happily  in  Scotland. 

"A  historical  romance  of  the  best 


"Ronald,  the  hero,  is  very  like  the 
hero  of  Quentin  Durward.  The  lad's 
journey  across  France  with  his  faith- 
ful attendant  Malcolm,  and  his  hair- 
breadth escapes  from  the  machinations 
of  his  father's  enemies,  make  up  as 
good  a  narrative  of  the  kind  as  we  have 
ever  read.  For  freshness  of  treatment 
and  variety  of  incident,  Mr.  Henty  has 
here  surpassed  himself.  "Spectator. 


quality.  Mr.  Henty  has  written  many 
more  sensational  stories  than  Bonnie 
Prince  Charlie  but  never  a  more  artistic 
one. " — A  cademy. 

"  His  book  is  really  a  painstaking  and 
conscientious  historical  study,  and  it 
has  the  swift-flowing  vivacity  and  vigour 
of  his  most  spontaneous  and  stirring 
stories."— CAmtian  Leader. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY. 

"  Mr.  Henty  is  one  of  the  best  of  story-tellers  for  young  peoT^le."— Spectator. 


BY   PIKE    AND    DYKE: 

A  Tale  of  the  Eise  of  the  Dutch  Eepublic.  By  G.  A.  Henty. 
With  10  full-page  Illustrations  by  Maynard  Brown,  and  4 
Maps.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1'50. 

A  story  covering  the  period  which  forms  the  thrilling  subject  of  Motley's 
Rise  of  the  Dutch  Republic^  when  the  Netherlands,  under  the  guidance  of 
William  of  Orange,  revolted  against  the  attempts  of  Alva  and  the  Spaniards 
to  force  upon  them  the  Catholic  religion.  To  a  story  already  of  the 
keenest  interest,  Mr.  Henty  has  added  a  special  attractiveness  for  boys  in 
tracing  through  the  historic  conflict  the  adventures  and  brave  deeds  of  an 
English  boy  in  the  household  of  the  ablest  man  of  his  age — William  the 
Silent.  Edward  Martin,  the  son  of  an  English  sea-captain,  after  sharing 
in  the  excitement  of  an  escape  from  the  Spaniards  and  a  sea-fight,  enters 
the  service  of  the  Prince  as  a  volunteer,  and  is  employed  by  him  in  many 
dangerous  and  responsible  missions,  in  the  discharge  of  which  he  passes 
through  the  great  sieges  and  more  than  one  naval  engagement  of  the  time. 
He  is  subsequently  employed  in  Holland  by  Queen  Elizabeth,  to  whom  he 
is  recommended  by  Orange;  and  ultimately  settles  down  as  Sir  Edward 
Martin  and  the  husband  of  the  lady  to  whom  he  owes  his  life,  and  whom 
he  in  turn  has  saved  from  the  Council  of  Blood. 

CAPTAIN   BAY  LETS   HEIR: 

A  Tale  of  the  Gold  Fields  of  California.  By  G.  A.  Henty. 
With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  M.  Paget.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1'50. 

A  frank  manly  lad  and  his  cousin,  who  is  of  the  plausible  scheming  type, 
are  rivals  in  the  heirship  of  a  considerable  property.  The  former  falls  into 
a  trap  laid  by  the  latter,  and  while  under  a  false  accusation  of  theft  fool- 
ishly leaves  England  for  America.  He  works  his  passage  before  the  mast, 
becomes  one  of  the  hands  on  a  river  trading-flat,  joins  a  small  band  of 
hunters,  crosses  a  tract  of  country  infested  with  Indians  to  the  Califomian 
gold  diggings,  and  is  successful  both  as  digger  and  trader.  He  acquires  a 
small  fortune,  is  at  length  proved  innocent  of  the  charge  which  drove  him 
from  home,  and  returns  rich  in  valuable  experiences. 

"A  Westminster  boy  who,  like  all 
this  author's  heroes,  makes  his  way  in 
the  world  by  hard  work,  good  temper, 
and  unfailing  courage.  The  descrip- 
tions given  of  life  are  just  what  a 
healthy  intelligent  lad  should  delight 
in."— St.  James's  Gazette. 


"Mr.  Henty  is  careful  to  mingle  solid 
instruction  with  entertainment;  and 
the  humorous  touches,  especially  in 
the  sketch  of  John  Holl,  the  Westmin- 
ster dustman,  Dickens  himself  could 
hardly  have  excelled. "  —  Christian 
Leader. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY. 

"Mr.  Henty's  books  for  boys  have  long  been  recognized  as  amongst  the  very 
best  things  of  their  kind."— Court  Journal. 


THE   LION   OF   ST.    MARK. 

A  Tale  of  Venice  in  the  Fourteenth  Century.  By  G.  A.  Henty. 
With  10  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown 
8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

A  story  of  Venice  at  a  period  when  her  strength  and  splendour  were  put 
to  the  severest  tests.  The  hero,  the  son  of  an  English  trader  who  has 
taken  up  residence  in  the  city,  displays  a  fine  sense  and  manliness  which 
carry  him  safely  through  an  atmosphere  of  intrigue,  crime,  and  bloodshed. 
In  his  gondola  on  the  canals  and  lagunes,  and  in  the  ships  which  he  rises 
to  command,  he  is  successful  in  extricating  his  friends  and  himself  from 
imminent  dangers,  and  contributes  largely  to  the  victories  of  the  Venetians 
at  Porto  d'Anzo  and  Chioggia.  He  is  honoured  by  the  state  and  finally 
wins  the  hand  of  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  chief  men  of  Venice. 


"  Every  boy  should  read  The  Lion  of 
St.  Mark.  Mr.  Henty  has  never  pro- 
duced any  story  more  delightful,  more 
wholesome,  or  more  vivacious.  From 
first  to  last  it  will  be  read  with  keen 
ex^loyment."— Saturday  Review. 


"Mr.  Henty  has  probably  not  pub 
lished  a  more  interesting  story  than 
The  Lion  of  St.  Mark.  He  has  certainly 
not  published  one  in  which  he  has  been 
at  such  pains  to  rise  to  the  dignity  of 
his  subject." — The  Academy. 


THE   LION   OF    THE   NORTH. 

A  Tale  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  and  the  Wars  of  Eeligion.  By 
G.  A.  Henty.  With  12  full- page  Illustrations  by  John 
ScHONBERG.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1'50. 

In  this  story  Mr.  Henty  gives  the  history  of  the  first  part  of  the  Thirty 
Years'  War,  a  struggle  unprecedented  in  length;  in  the  fury  with  which  it 
was  carried  on,  and  in  the  terrible  destruction  and  ruin  which  it  caused. 
The  issue  had  its  importance,  which  has  extended  to  the  present  day,  as 
it  established  religious  freedom  in  Germany.  The  army  of  the  chivalrous 
King  of  Sweden,  the  prop  and  maintenance  of  the  Protestant  cause,  was 
largely  composed  of  Scotchmen,  and  among  these  was  the  hero  of  the 
story.  The  chief  interest  of  the  tale  turns  on  the  great  struggle  between 
Gustavus  and  his  chief  opponents  Wallenstein,  Tilly,  and  Pappenheim. 

vus  Adolphus.  Mackay,  Hepburn,  and 
Munro  live  again inMr.  Henty's  pages,as 
those  deserve  to  live  whose  disciplined 
bands  formed  really  the  germ  of  the 
modern  British  army." — Athenceum. 

*'  A  stirring  story  of  stirring  times. 
This  book  should  hold  a  place  among 
the  classics  of  youthful  fiction. "—  United 
Service  Gazette. 


"As  we  might  expect  from  Mr.  Henty 
the  tale  is  a  clever  and  instructive 
piece  of  history,  and  as  boys  may  be 
trusted  to  read  it  conscientiously,  they 
can  hardly  fail  to  be  profited  as  well  as 
pleased." — The  Times. 

"A  praiseworthy  attempt  to  interest 
British  youth  in  the  great  deeds  of  the 
Scotch  Brigade  in  the  wars  of  Gusta- 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLB. 


BY    G.    A.    HENTY. 

**  Mr.  Ilenty's  books  never  fail  to  interest  boy  readers.  "—Academy. 


FOB    THE   TEMPLE: 

A  Tale  of  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem.  By  G.  A.  Hentt.  With  10 
full-page  Illustrations  by  S.  J.  Solomon  :  and  a  coloured  Map. 
Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

Few  boys  have  failed  to  find  the  story  of  the  revolt  of  the  Jews  of 
thrilling  interest  when  once  brought  to  their  notice;  but  there  hgis  hitherto 
been  Uttle  choice  between  sending  them  to  books  of  history  and  supply- 
ing them  with  insipid  fictional  transcripts  of  the  story.  Mr.  Henty  sup- 
plies a  distinct  want  in  this  regard,  weaving  into  the  record  of  Josephus 
an  admirable  and  attractive  plot.  The  troubles  in  the  district  of  Tiberias, 
the  march  of  the  legions,  the  sieges  of  Jotapata,  of  Gamala,  and  of 
Jerusalem,  form  the  impressive  and  carefully-studied  historic  setting 
to  the  figure  of  the  lad  who  passes  from  the  vineyard  to  the  service  of 
Josephus,  becomes  the  leader  of  a  guerrilla  band  of  patriots,  fights  bravely 
for  the  Temple,  and  after  a  brief  term  of  slavery  at  Alexandria,  returns  to 
his  Galilean  home  with  the  favour  of  Titus. 


WITH   C LIVE  IN  INDIA: 

Or  the  Beginnings  of  an  Empire.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and 
tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  Jl'SO. 

The  period  between  the  landing  of  Clive  as  a  young  writer  in  India  and 
the  close  of  his  career  was  critical  and  eventful  in  the  extreme.  At  its 
commencement  the  English  were  traders  existing  on  sufferance  of  the 
native  princes.  At  its  close  they  were  masters  of  Bengal  and  of  the  greater 
part  of  Southern  India.  The  author  has  given  a  full  and  accurate  account 
of  the  events  of  that  stirring  time,  and  battles  and  sieges  follow  each  other 
in  rapid  succession,  while  he  combines  with  his  narrative  a  tale  of  daring 
and  adventure,  which  gives  a  lifelike  interest  to  the  volume. 


"  III  this  book  Mr.  Henty  has  contrived 
to  exceed  himself  in  stirring  adventures 
and  thrilling  situations.  The  pictures  add 
greatly  to  the  interest  of  the  book." — 
Saturday  Review. 

'  'Among  writers  of  stories  of  adventure 
for  boys  Mr.  Henty  stands  in  the  very 
first  rank,  and  Mr.  Gordon  Browne  occu- 
pies a  similar  place  with  his  pencil.  .  .  . 
Those  who  know  something  about  India 


will  be  the  most  ready  to  thank  Mr. 
Henty  for  giving  them  this  instructive 
volume  to  place  in  the  hands  of  their  chil- 
dren."—.Academy. 

'*  He  has  taken  a  period  of  Indian  His- 
tory of  the  most  vital  importance,  and  he 
has  embroidered  on  the  historical  facts 
a  story  which  of  itself  is  deeply  interest- 
ing. Young  people  assuredly  will  be  de- 
lighted with  the  volume."— Scotemon. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY   G.   A.    HENTY. 

"Surely  Mr.  Henty  should  understand  boys'  tastes  better  than  any  man  living.' 

—The  Times. 


THE    YOUNG    CARTHAGINIAN: 

A  Story  of  the  Times  of  Hannibal.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland,  E.I.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

Boys  reading  the  history  of  the  Punic  Wars  have  seldom  a  keen  appre- 
ciation of  the  merits  of  the  contest.  That  it  was  at  first  a  struggle  for 
empire,  and  afterwards  for  existence  on  the  part  of  Carthage,  that  Hanni- 
bal was  a  great  and  skilful  general,  that  he  defeated  the  Romans  at  Trebia. 
Lake  Trasimenus,  and  Cannae,  and  all  but  took  Rome,  represents  pretty 
nearly  the  sum  total  of  their  knowledge. 

To  let  them  know  more  about  this  momentous  struggle  for  the  empire  of 
the  world  Mr.  Henty  has  written  this  story,  which  not  only  gives  in  graphic 
style  a  brilliant  description  of  a  most  interesting  period  of  history,  but  is  a 
tale  of  exciting  adventure  sure  to  secure  the  interest  of  the  reader. 


"The  effect  of  an  interesting  story, 
well  constructed  and  vividly  told,  is 
enhanced  by  the  picturesque  quality  of 
the  scenic  background.  From  first  to 
last  nothing  stays  the  interest  of  the 
narrative.  It  bears  us  along  as  on  a 
stream,  whose  current  varies  in  direc- 


tion, but  never  loses  its  force." — Satur- 
day Review. 

"  Ought  to  be  popular  with  boys  who 
are  not  too  ill  instructed  or  too  dandi- 
fied to  be  affected  by  a  graphic  picture 
of  the  days  and  deeds  of  Hannibal. "- 
Athenoeum. 


WITH    WOLFE  IN   CANADA: 

Or,  The  Winning  of  a  Continent.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.   Crown  8vo,  cloth 
elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 
In  the  present  volume  Mr.  Henty  gives  an  account  of  the  struggle  be- 
tween Britain  and  France  for  supremacy  in  the  North  American  continent. 
On  the  issue  of  this  war  depended  not  only  the  destinies  of  North  Ame- 
rica, but  to  a  large  extent  those  of  the  mother  countries  themselves.     The 
fall  of  Quebec  decided  that  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  should  predominate  in 
the  New  World;  that  Britain,  and  not  France,  should  take  the  lead  among 
the  nations  of  Europe;  and  that  English  and  American  commerce,   the 
English  language,  and  English  literature,  should  spread  right  round  the 
globe. 


"It  is  not  only  a  lesson  in  history  as 
Instructively  as  it  is  graphically  told, 
but  also  a  deeply  interesting  and  often 
thrilling  tale  of  adventure  and  peril  by 
flood  and  field." — Illustrated  London 
News. 


"  A  model  of  what  a  boy's  story-book 
should  be.  Mr.  Henty  has  a  great  power 
of  infusing  into  the  dead  facts  of  his- 
tory new  life,  and  his  books  supply 
useful  aids  to  study  as  well  as  amuse 
ment. " — School  Guardian. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOU  NO  PEOPLM. 


BY   G.  A.  HENTY. 

'*  The  brightest  of  all  the  living  writera  whose  office  it  is  to  enchant  the  boys." 

— Chrutian  Leader. 


THROUGH  THE  FRAY: 

A  Story  of  the  Luddite  Eiots.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  12  full- 
page  IHustrations  by  H.  M.  Paget,  in  black  and  tint.  Crown 
8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $l'50. 

The  author  in  this  story  has  followed  the  lines  which  he  worked  out  so 
successfully  in  Facing  Death.  As  in  that  story  he  shows  that  there  arc 
victories  to  be  won  in  peaceful  fields,  and  that  steadfastness  and  tenacity 
are  virtues  which  tell  in  the  long  run.  The  story  is  laid  in  Yorkshire  at  the 
commencement  of  the  present  century,  when  the  high  price  of  food  induced 
by  the  war  and  the  introduction  of  machinery  drove  the  working-classes 
to  desperation,  and  caused  them  to  band  themselves  in  that  wide-spread 
organization  known  as  the  Luddite  Society.  There  is  an  abundance  of 
adventure  in  the  tale,  but  its  chief  interest  lies  in  the  character  of  the 
hero,  and  the  manner  in  which  by  a  combination  of  circumstances  he  is 
put  on  trial  for  his  life,  but  at  last  comes  victorious  "through  the  fray." 


"Mr.  Henty  inspires  a  love  and  ad- 
miration for  straightforwardness,  truth, 
and  courage.  This  is  one  of  the  best  of 
the  many  good  books  Mr.  Henty  has 
produced,  and  deserves  to  he  classed 
with  his  Facing  Death."— Standard. 


"  The  interest  of  the  story  never  flags. 
Were  we  to  propose  a  competition  for 
the  best  list  of  novel  writers  for  boys 
we  have  little  doubt  that  Mr.  Henty's 
name  would  stand  first."— Journal  0/ 
Education. 


TRUE  TO    THE   OLD  FLAG: 

A  Tale  of  the  American  War  of  Independence.  By  G.  A. 
Henty.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne. 
Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

In  this  story  the  author  has  gone  to  the  accounts  of  officers  who  took  part 
in  the  conflict,  and  lads  will  find  that  in  no  war  in  which  American  and  Bri- 
tish soldiers  have  been  engaged  did  they  behave  with  greater  courage  and 
good  conduct.  The  historical  portion  of  the  book  being  accompanied  with 
numerous  thrilling  adventures  with  the  redskins  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Huron,  a  story  of  exciting  interest  is  interwoven  with  the  general  narrative 
and  carried  through  the  book. 


**  Does  justice  to  the  pluck  and  deter- 
mination of  the  British  soldiers  during 
the  iinfortunate  struggle  against  Ameri- 
can emancipation.  The  son  of  an  Ameri- 
can loyalist,  who  remains  true  to  our  flag, 
falls  among  the  hostile  redskins  in  that 
very  Huron  country  which  has  been  en- 
deared to  us  by  the  exploits  of  Hawk- 
eye  and  Chingachgook." — The  Times. 


"  Mr.  G.  A.  Henty's  extensive  personal 
experience  of  adventures  and  moving 
incidents  by  flood  and  field,  combined 
with  a  gift  of  picturesque  narrative, 
make  his  books  always  welcome  visitoi-s 
in  the  home  circle." — Daily  News. 

*'  Very  superior  in  every  way.  The  book 
is  almost  unique  in  its  class  in  having 
illustrative  ma,T^s."— Saturday  Review. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY    G.    A.    HENTY. 

Mr.  Henty  is  the  king  of  story-telleis  for  \ioy^"— Sword  and  Trowel 


IN   FREEDOM'S   CAUSE: 

A  Story  of  Wallace  and  Bruce.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and 
tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  f  1*50. 

In  this  story  the  author  relates  the  stirring  tale  of  the  Scottish  War  of 
Independence.  The  extraordinary  valour  and  personal  prowess  of  Wallace 
and  Bruce  rival  the  deeds  of  the  mythical  heroes  of  chivalry,  and  indeed 
at  one  time  Wallace  was  ranked  with  these  legendary  personages.  The 
researches  of  modern  historians  have  shown,  however,  that  he  was  a  living, 
breathing  man— and  a  valiant  champion.  The  hero  of  the  tale  fought  under 
both  Wallace  and  Bruce,  and  while  the  strictest  historical  accuracy  has 
been  maintained  with  respect  to  public  events,  the  work  is  full  of  "hair- 
breadth 'scapes  "  and  wild  adventure. 


"Mr.  Henty  has  broken  new  ground 
as  an  historical  novelist.  His  tale  is  fall 
of  stirring  action,  and  will  commend 
itself  to  boys." — Athenceum. 

*'It  is  written  in  the  author's  best 
style.  Full  of  the  wildest  and  most 
remarkable  achievements,  it  is  a  tale  of 
great  interest,  which  a  boy,  once  he  has 


begun  it,  will  not  willingly  put  on  one 

side." — The  Schoolmaster. 

"Scarcely  anywhere  have  we  seen  in 
prose  a  more  lucid  and  spirit-stirring 
description  of  Bannockburn  than  the  one 
with  which  the  author  fittingly  closes  his 
volume,"— i?wm/ries  Standard. 


UNDER  DRAKE'S  FLAG. 

A  Tale  of  the  Spanish  Main.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  Illustrated 
by  12  full-page  Pictures  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and 
tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

A  story  of  the  days  when  England  and  Spain  struggled  for  the  supre- 
macy of  the  sea,  and  England  carried  off  the  palm.  The  heroes  sail  as  lads 
with  Drake  in  the  expedition  in  which  the  Pacific  Ocean  was  first  seen  by 
an  Englishman  from  a  tree-top  on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  in  his  great 
voyage  of  circumnavigation.  The  historical  portion  of  the  story  is  abso- 
lutely to  be  relied  upon,  but  this,  although  very  useful  to  lads,  will  perhaps 
be  less  attractive  than  the  great  variety  of  exciting  adventure  through 
which  the  young  adventurers  pass  in, the  course  of  their  voyages. 


"A  stirring  book  of  Drake's  time,  and 
just  such  a  book  as  the  youth  of  this 
maritime  coimtry  are  likely  to  prize 
highly." — Daily  Telegraph. 

*'  Ned  in  the  coils  of  the  boa-constrictor 
is  a  wonderful  picture.    A  boy  must  be 


hard  to  please  if  he  wishes  for  anything 
more  exciting." — Pall  Mall  Gazette. 

"A  book  of  adventure,  where  the  hero 
meets  with  experience  enough  one  would 
think  to  turn  his  hair  gray." — Harper's 
Monthly  Magazine. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY. 

Mr.  Henty's  books  for  boys  are  always  admirsible."— Birmingham  Po&t. 


ONE    OF    THE   28^^: 


With  8  full-page  Illus- 
2   Maps.     Crown   8vo^ 


A  Tale  of  Waterloo.  By  G.  A.  Henty. 
trations  by  W.  H.  Overend,  and 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1'50. 

Herbert  Penfold,  being  desirous  of  benefiting  the  daughter  of  an  inti- 
mate friend,  and  Ralph  Conway,  the  son  of  a  lady  to  whom  he  had  once 
been  engaged,  draws  up  a  will  dividing  his  property  between  them,  and 
places  it  in  a  hiding-place  only^known  to  members  of  his  own  family.  At 
his  death  his  two  sisters  determine  to  keep  silence,  and  the  authorized 
search  for  the  will,  though  apparently  thorough,  fails  to  bring  it  to  light. 
The  mother  of  Ralph,  however,  succeeds  in  entering  the  house  as  a  servant, 
and  after  an  arduous  and  exciting  search  secures  the  will.  In  the  mean- 
time, her  son  has  himself  passed  through  a  series  of  adventures.  The  boat 
in  which  he  is  fishing  is  run  down  by  a  French  privateer,  and  Ralph, 
scrambling  on  board,  is  forced  to  serve  until  the  harbour  of  refuge  is 
entered  by  a  British  frigate.  On  his  return  he  enters  the  army,  and  after 
some  rough  service  in  Ireland,  takes  part  in  the  Waterloo  campaign,  from 
which  he  returns  with  the  loss  of  an  arm,  but  with  a  substantial  fortune, 
which  is  still  further  increased  by  his  marriage  with  his  co-heir. 

THU    CAT   OF  BU BASTES: 

A  Story  of  Ancient  Egypt.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full-page 
Illustrations  by  J.  E.  Weguelin.  Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant, 
olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

In  availing  himself  of  the  pictured  records  of  Egyptian  life  and  history, 
Mr.  Henty  has  produced  a  story  which  will  give  young  readers  an  unsur- 
passed insight  into  the  customs  of  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  ancient  peoples. 
Amuba,  a  prince  of  the  Rebu  nation  on  the  shores  of  the  Caspian,  is  carried 
with  his  charioteer  Jethro  into  slavery.  They  become  inmates  of  the  house 
of  Ameres,  the  Egyptian  high-priest,  and  are  happy  in  his  service  until  the 
priest's  son  accidentally  kills  the  sacred  cat  of  Bubastes.  In  an  outburst 
of  popular  fury  Ameres  is  killed,  and  it  rests  with  Jethro  and  Amuba  to 
secure  the  escape  of  the  high-priest's  son  and  daughter.  After  many 
dangers  they  succeed  in  crossing  the  desert  to  the  Red  Sea,  and  eventually 
making  their  way  to  the  Caspian. 


"  The  story  is  highly  enjoyable.  We 
have  pictures  of  Egyptian  domestic 
life,  of  sport,  of  religious  ceremonial, 
and  of  other  things  which  may  still  be 
seen  vividly  portrayed  by  the  brush  of 
Egyptian  artists."— TAe  Spectator. 


*'  The  story,  from  the  critical  moment 
of  the  killing  of  the  sacred  cat  to  the 
perilous  exodus  into  Asia  with  which  it 
closes,  is  very  skilfully  constructed  and 
full  of  exciting  adventures.  It  is  admir- 
ably illustrated."— 5a«t(rdoy  Review. 


10 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNQ  PEOPLE. 


BY   G.    A.    HENTY. 

'Mr.  Henty  is  one  of  our  most  successful  writers  of  historical  tales. 


-Scotsman. 


IN  THE  EEIGN  OF  TERROR: 

The  Adventures  of  a  Westminster  Boy.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  Schonberq.  Crown  8vo,  cloth 
elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1'50. 

Harry  Sandwith,  a  Westminster  boy,  becomes  a  resident  at  the  chateau 
of  a  French  marquis,  and  after  various  adventures  accompanies  the  family 
to  Paris  at  the  crisis  of  the  Revolution.  Imprisonment  and  death  reduce 
their  number,  and  the  hero  finds  himself  beset  by  perils  with  the  three 
young  daughters  of  the  house  in  his  charge.  The  stress  of  trial  brings  out 
in  him  all  the  best  English  qualities  of  pluck  and  endurance,  and  after 
hair-breadth  escapes  they  reach  Nantes.  There  the  girls  are  condemned 
to  death  in  the  coffin-ships  Les  Noyades,  but  are  saved  by  the  unfailing 
courage  of  their  boy-protector. 


"Harry  Sandwith,  the  Westminster 
boy,  may  fairly  be  said  to  beat  Mr. 
Henty's  record.  His  adventures  will 
delight  boys  by  the  audacity  and  peril 
they  depict.  .  .  .  The  story  is  one  of 
Mr.  Henty's  hQ^t"— Saturday  Review. 

"The  interest  of  this  story  of  the 
Reign  of  Terror  lies  in  the  way  in 


which  the  diflaculties  and  perils  Harry 
has  to  encounter  bring  out  the  he- 
roic and  steadfast  qualities  of  a  brave 
nature.  Again  and  again  the  last  ex- 
tremity seems  to  have  been  reached, 
but  his  unfailing  courage  triumphs 
over  all.  It  is  an  admirable  boy's 
hook.,"— Birmingham  Post. 


ST.   GEORGE  FOB  ENGLAND: 

A  Tale  of  Cressy  and  Poitiers.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and  tint. 
Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $1-50. 

No  portion  of  English  history  is  more  crowded  with  great  events  than  that 
of  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  Cressy  and  Poitiers  laid  France  prostrate  at 
the  feet  of  England;  the  Spanish  fleet  was  dispersed  and  destroyed  by  a 
naval  battle  as  remarkable  in  its  incidents  as  was  that  which  broke  up  the 
Armada  in  the  time  of  Elizabeth.  Europe  was  ravaged  by  the  dreadful 
plague  known  as  the  Black  Death,  and  France  was  the  scene  of  the  terrible 
peasant  rising  called  the  Jacquerie.  All  these  stirring  events  are  treated 
by  the  author  in  aS"^.  George  for  England.  The  hero  of  the  story,  although 
of  good  family,  begins  life  as  a  London  apprentice,  but  after  countless 
adventures  and  perils,  becomes  by  valour  and  good  conduct  the  squire, 
and  at  last  the  trusted  friend  of  the  Black  Prince. 

•'Mr.  Henty  as  a  boy's  story-teller 
stands  in  the  very  foremost  rank.  With 
plenty  of  scope  to  work  upon  he  has 
produced  a  strong  story  at  once  in- 
structive and  entertaining."— GrZas(70to 
Herald. 


"  Mr.  Henty  has  developed  for  him- 
self a  type  of  historical  novel  for  boys 
which  bids  fair  to  supplement,  on  their 
behalf,  the  historical  labours  of  Sir 
Walter  Scott  iu  the  laud  of  fiction. " — 
Standard. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOU  NO  PEOPLE. 


11 


BY   G.    A.    HENTY. 

All'.  Henty  is  the  prince  of  story-tellers  for  boys. "— Sheffield  Independent. 


A    FINAL    BECKONING: 

A  Tale  of  Bush  Life  in  Australia.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  B.  Wollen.  Crown  8vo,  cloth 
elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

In  this  book  Mr.  Henty  has  again  left  the  battlefields  of  history  and  has 
written  a  story  of  adventure  in  Australia  in  the  early  days  of  its  settlement. 

The  hero,  a  young  English  lad,  after  rather  a  stormy  boyhood,  emigrates 
to  Australia,  and  gets  employment  as  an  oflBcer  in  the  mounted  police. 

A  few  years  of  active  work  on  the  frontier,  where  he  has  many  a  brush 
with  both  natives  and  bush-rangers,  gain  him  promotion  to  a  captaincy, 
and  he  eventually  settles  down  to  the  peaceful  life  of  a  squatter. 


"Mr.  Henty  has  never  published  a 
more  readable,  a  more  carefully  con- 
atructed,  or  a  better  written  story  than 
this. " — Spectator. 

"  Exhibits  Mr.  Henty's  talent  as  a 
story-teller  at  his  best.  .  .  .  The  draw- 
ings possess  the  uncommon  merit  of 
really  illustrating  the  text." — Saturday 
Review. 


"All  boys  will  read  this  story  with 
eager  and  unflagging  interest.  The 
episodes  are  in  Mr.  Henty's  very  best 
vein— graphic,  exciting,  realistic ;  and, 
as  in  all  Mr.  Henty's  books,  the  tend- 
ency is  to  the  formation  of  an  honour- 
able, manly,  and  even  heroic  character. " 
—Birmingham,  Post. 


THE  BRAVEST  OF  THE  BRAVE: 

Or   With  Peterborough  in  Spain.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  M.  Paget.     Crown  8vo,  cloth 

elegant,  $1'5U. 

There  are  few  great  leaders  whose  lives  and  actions  have  so  completely 
fallen  into  oblivion  as  those  of  the  Earl  of  Peterborough.  This  is  largely 
due  to  the  fact  that  they  were  overshadowed  by  the  glory  and  successes 
of  Marlborough.  His  career  as  General  extended  over  little  more  than 
a  year,  and  yet,  in  that  time,  he  showed  a  genius  for  warfare  which  has 
never  been  surpassed,  and  performed  feats  of  daring  worthy  of  the  leaders 
of  chivalry. 


"Mr.  Henty  has  done  good  service  in 
endeavouring  to  redeem  from  oblivion 
the  name  of  the  great  soldier,  Charles 
Mordaunt,  Earl  of  Peterborough.  The 
young  recruit,  Jack  Stilwell,  worthily 
earns  his  commission  and  tells  his  tale 
with  spirit."— ^t/ienceww. 

"Mr.  Henty  never  loses  sight  of  the 
moral  purpose  of  his  work — to  enforce 
the  doctrine  of  courage  and  truth, 
mercy  and  lovingkindness,  as  indispens- 
able to  the  making  of  a  gentleman. 


Lads  will  read  The  Bravest  of  the  Brave 
with  pleasure  and  profit;  of  that  we  are 
quite  BVLve."  —Daily  Telegraph. 

"In  describing  the  brief,  brilliant, 
most  extraordinary  campaigns  of  this 
chivalric  and  picturesque  commander 
Mr.  Henty  is  in  his  element,  and  the 
boy  who  does  not  follow  the  animated 
and  graphic  narrative  with  rapture 
must  sadly  lack  spirit  and  pluck."— 
CivU  Service  Gazette. 


12 


BOOKS  FOR  YOU  NO  PEOPLE. 


BY   G.   A.    HENTY. 

"Among  writers  of  stories  of  adventure  for  boys  Mr.  Henty  stands  in  the  very 
first  rank."— Academy. 


FOB   NAME  AND   FAME: 

Or,  Through  Afghan  Passes.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and  tint. 
Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  v*l*50. 

This  is  an  interesting  story  of  the  last  war  in  Afghanistan.  The  hero, 
after  being  wrecked  and  going  through  many  stirring  adventures  among 
the  Malays,  finds  his  way  to  Calcutta,  and  enhsts  in  a  regiment  proceed- 
ing to  join  the  army  at  the  Afghan  passes.  He  accompanies  the  force 
under  General  Roberts  to  the  Peiwar  Kotal,  is  wounded,  taken  prisoner, 
and  carried  to  Cabul,  whence  he  is  transferred  to  Candahar,  and  takes 
part  in  the  final  defeat  of  the  army  of  Ayoub  Khan. 


"Mr.  Henty's  pen  is  never  more  effec- 
tively employed  than  when  he  is  de- 
scribing incidents  of  warfare.  The  best 
featm-e  of  the  book — apart  from  the 
interest  of  its  scenes  of  adventure— is 
its  honest  effort  to  do  justice  to  the 
patriotism  of  the  Afghan  people."— 
Daily  News. 

"Here  we  have  not  only  a  rousing 


story,  replete  with  all  the  varied  forms 
of  excitement  of  a  campaign,  but  an  in- 
structive history  of  a  recent  war,  and, 
what  is  still  more  useful,  an  account  of 
a  territory  and  its  inhabitants  which 
must  for  a  long  time  possess  a  supreme 
interest  for  Englishmen,  as  being  the 
key  to  our  Indian  Empire." — Glasgow 
Herald. 


BY  SHEEB   PLUCK: 

A  Tale  of  the  Ashanti  War.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full-page 
Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and  tint.  Crown 
8vo,  cloth  elegant,  '1*50. 

The  Ashanti  Campaign  seems  but  an  event  of  yesterday,  but  it  happened 
when  the  generation  now  rising  up  were  too  young  to  have  made  them- 
selves acquainted  with  its  incidents.  The  author  has  woven,  in  a  tale  of 
thrilling  interest,  all  the  details  of  the  campaign,  of  which  he  was  himself 
a  witness.  His  hero,  after  many  exciting  adventures  in  the  interior,  finds 
himself  at  Coomassie  just  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  is  detained  a 
prisoner  by  the  king,  is  sent  down  with  the  army  which  invaded  the  British 
Protectorate,  escapes,  and  accompanies  the  English  expedition  on  their 
march  to  Coomassie. 


"  Mr.  Henty  keeps  up  his  reputation  as 
a  writer  of  boys'  stories.  *  By  Sheer  Pluck' 
will  be  eagerly  read." — Athenaeum. 

"The  book  is  one  which  will  not  only 
sustain,  but  add  to  Mr.  Henty's  reputa- 
tion."— The  Standard. 


"Written  with  a  simple  directness, 
force,  and  purity  of  style  worthy  of  De- 
foe. Morally,  the  book  is  everything  that 
could  be  desired,  setting  before  the  boys 
a  bright  and  bracing  ideal  of  the  English 
gentleman."— C/irisfian  Leader. 


BOOKS  FOR  TOUNO  PEOPLE. 


13 


BY   G.    A.    HENTY. 

"Mr.  Henty's  books  are  always  welcome  visitors  in  the  home  circle."- 
News. 


■Daily 


FACING   DEATH: 

Or  the  Hero  of  the  Vaughan  Pit.  A  Tale  of  the  Coal  Mines. 
By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon 
Browne,  in  black  and  tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $1 '60. 

*'  Facing  Death  "  is  a  story  with  a  purpose.  It  is  intended  to  show  that 
a  lad  who  makes  up  his  mind  firmly  and  resolutely  that  he  will  rise  in  life, 
and  who  is  prepared  to  face  toil  and  ridicule  and  hardship  to  carry  out  his 
determination,  is  sure  to  succeed.  The  hero  of  the  story  is  a  typical  British 
boy,  dogged,  earnest,  generous,  and  though  "shamefaced"  to  a  degree,  is 
ready  to  face  death  in  the  discharge  of  duty.  His  is  a  character  for  imita- 
tion by  boys  in  every  station. 


"  Tho  tale  is  well  written  and  well 
illustrated,  and  there  is  much  reality 
in  the  characters." — Athenceum. 

' '  If  any  father,  godfather,  clergyman, 


or  schoolmaster  is  on  the  look-out  for  a 
good  book  to  give  as  a  present  to  a  boy 
who  is  worth  his  salt,  this  is  the  book 
we  would  recommend."— Sianrfard. 


ORANGE  AND    GBEEN: 

A  Tale  of  the  Boyne  and  Limerick.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

The  history  of  Ireland  has  assumed  such  immediate  interest  that  Mr. 
Henty's  fictional  treatment  of  one  of  its  important  crises  will  be  welcomed 
by  all  who  desire  that  the  young  should  realize  vividly  the  sources  of  many 
of  its  troubles.  The  story  is  the  record  of  two  typical  families  —  the 
Davenants,  who,  having  come  over  with  Strongbow,  had  allied  themselves 
in  feeling  to  the  original  inhabitants ;  and  the  Whitefoots,  who  had  been 
placed  by  Cromwell  over  certain  domains  of  the  Davenants.  In  the  chil- 
dren the  spirit  of  contention  has  given  place  to  friendship,  and  though 
they  take  opposite  sides  in  the  struggle  between  James  and  William,  their 
good-will  and  mutual  service  are  never  interrupted,  and  iji  the  end  the 
Davenants  come  happily  to  their  own  again. 

"An  extremely  spirited  story,  based 
on  the  struggle  in  Ireland,  rendered 
memorable  by  the  defence  of  'Deny 
and  the  siege  of  Limerick.  "Saturday 
Review. 

"The  work  is  not  only  amusing  and 
instructive,  but  it  is  also  one,  as  all 
Mr.  Henty's  books  are,  likely  to  make 
any  lad  desire  to  be  a  noble  and  use- 
ful member  of  society,  whether  he  be 


a  soldier  or  aught  else." — Practical 
Teacher. 

"  The  narrative  is  free  from  the  vice 
of  prejudice,  and  ripples  witli  life  as 
vivacious  as  if  what  is  being  described 
were  really  passing  before  the  eye.  .  .  . 
Orange  and  Green  should  be  in  the 
hands  of  every  young  student  of  Irish 
history  without  delay."— Morning  News 
(JBelfast). 


14 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY. 

Mr.  Henty  as  a  boys'  story-teller  stands  in  the  very  foremost  rank." 

—Glasgow  Herald. 


THE  DRAGON  AND   THE  RAVEN: 


By  G.  A.  Henty. 
Staniland,  R.I. 


With  8  full- 
Crown  8vo, 


Or,  The  Days  of  King  Alfred, 
page  Illustrations  by  C.  J. 
cloth  elegant,  $1'50. 

In  this  story  the  author  gives  an  account  of  the  desperate  struggle 
between  Saxon  and  Dane  for  supremacy  in  England,  and  presents  a  vivid 
picture  of  the  misery  and  ruin  to  which  the  country  was  reduced  by  the 
ravages  of  the  sea-wolves.  The  hero  of  the  story,  a  young  Saxon  thane, 
takes  part  in  all  the  battles  fought  by  King  Alfred,  and  the  incidents  in 
his  career  are  unusually  varied  and  exciting.  He  is  driven  from  his  home, 
takes  to  the  sea  and  resists  the  Danes  on  their  own  element,  and  being 
pursued  by  them  up  the  Seine,  is  present  at  the  long  and  desperate  siege 
of  Paris. 


"  Perhaps  the  best  story  of  the  early 
days  of  England  which  has  yet  been 
tolA."— Court  Journal. 

"We  know  of  no  popular  book  in 
which  the  stirring  incidents  of  the  reign 


of  the  heroic  Saxon  king  are  made  ac- 
cessible to  young  readers  as  they  are 
here.  Mr.  Henty  has  made  a  book  which 
will  afford  much  delight  to  boys,  and  is 
of  genuine  historic  value." — Scotsman. 


STURDY  AND    STRONG: 

Or,  How  George  Andrews  made  his  Way.     By  G.  A.  Henty. 
With  4  full-page  Illustrations.     Crown  Svo,  cloth  extra,  $1. 


"  The  history  of  a  hero  of  everyday 
life,  whose  love  of  truth,  clothing  of 
modesty,  and  innate  pluck,  carry  him, 
naturally,  from  poverty  to  affluence. 


George  Andrews  is  an  example  of  char- 
acter with  nothing  to  cavil  at,  and 
stands  as  a  good  instance  of  chivalry 
in  domesticlife. "—TAe  Empire. 


TALES  OF  DARING  AND  DANGER. 

By  (^.  A.  Henty.     With  2  full-page  Illustrations.     Crown  Svo, 
cloth  extra,  75  cents. 


YARNS    ON    THE 


By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  2  full-page  Illustrations, 
cloth  extra,  75  cents. 


BE  A  OH 

Crown  Svo, 


"  This  little  book  should  find  special 
favour  among  boys.  The  yarns  arc  spun 


by  old  sailors,  and  are  admirably  calcu- 
lated to  foster  a  manly  spirit. " — Echo. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE.  15 


BY   S.    BARING-GOULD. 


GRETTIR   THE   OUTLAW: 

A  Story  of  Iceland.  By  S.  Baring-Gould,  author  of  "John 
Herring,"  "Mehalah,"  &c.  With  10  full-page  Illustrations 
by  M.  Zeno  Diemer,  and  a  Coloured  Map.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

A  work  of  special  interest,  not  only  because  of  the  high  rank  which  Mr. 
Baring-Gould  has  of  late  years  acquired  by  his  brilliant  series  of  novels, 
MeJialah,  John  Herring ^  Court  Royal,  &c.,  but  because  of  his  earlier  won 
reputation  as  a  historian  and  explorer  of  folk-legends  and  popular  beliefs. 
In  the  story  of  Grettir,  both  the  art  of  the  noveHst  and  the  lore  of  the 
archaeologist  have  had  full  scope,  with  the  result  that  we  have  a  nan'ative 
of  adventure  of  the  most  romantic  kind,  and  at  the  same  time  an  interesting 
and  minutely  accurate  account  of  the  old  Icelandic  families,  their  homes, 
their  mode  of  life,  their  superstitions,  their  songs  and  stories,  their  bear- 
serk  fury,  and  their  heroism  by  land  and  sea.  The  story  is  told  throughout 
with  a  simplicity  which  will  make  it  attractive  even  to  the  very  young,  but 
the  clearness  is  really  secured  by  a  close  personal  knowledge,  not  only  of 
the  whole  saga-Uterature,  but  of  the  places  in  which  the  events  occurred. 
It  will  on  this  account  be  turned  to  with  no  little  interest  by  students  of 
the  old  sagas,  while  no  boy  will  be  able  to  withstand  the  magic  of  such 
scenes  as  the  fight  of  Grettir  with  the  twelve  bear-serks,  the  wrestle  with 
Karr  the  Old  in  the  chamber  of  the  dead,  the  combat  with  the  spirit  of 
Glam  the  thrall,  and  the  defence  of  the  dying  Grettir  by  his  younger 
brother. 

BY   PROFESSOR   CHURCH. 


TWO    THOUSAND    YEARS   AGO: 

Or,  The  Adventures  of  a  Eoman  Boy.  By  Professor  A.  J.  Church. 
With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Adrien  Marie.  Crown 
8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

Prof.  Church  has  in  this  story  sought  to  revivify  that  most  interesting 
period,  the  last  days  of  the  Roman  Republic.  The  hero,  Lucius  Marius,  is 
a  young  Roman  who  has  a  very  chequered  career,  being  now  a  captive  in 
the  hands  of  Spartacus,  again  an  officer  on  board  a  vessel  detailed  for  the 
suppression  of  the  pirates,  and  anon  a  captive  once  more,  on  a  pirate  ship. 
He  escapes  to  Tarsus,  is  taken  prisoner  in  the  war  with  Mithradates,  and 
detained  by  the  latter  in  Pontus  for  a  number  of  years. 


"  Adventures  well  worth  the  telling. 
The  book  is  extremely  entertaining  as 
well  as  useful :  there  is  a  wonderful 
freshness  in  the  Boman  scenes  and 
characters. '  '—Tvtnea. 


"  Entertaining  in  the  highest  degree 
from  beginning  to  end,  and  full  of  ad- 
venture which  is  all  the  livelier  for 
its  close  connection  with  history."— 
Spectator. 


16 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY   GEORGE    MANVILLE    FENN. 

"Mr.  Fenn  is  in  the  front  rank  of  writers  of  stories  for  \)oy&."— Liverpool 
Uerctiry 

DICK  0'   THE  FENS: 

A.  Romance  of  the  Great  East  Swamp.  By  G.  Manvillb  Fenn. 
With  12  full -page  Illustrations  by  Frank  Dadd.  Crown 
8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

A  tale  of  boy  life  in  the  old  Lincolnshire  Fens,  when  the  first  attempts 
wore  made  to  reclaim  them  and  turn  the  reedy  swamps,  and  wild -fowl 
and  fish  haunted  pools  into  dry  land.  Dick  o'  the  Fens  and  Tom  o' 
Grimsey  are  the  sons  of  a  squire  and  a  farmer  living  on  the  edge  of  one 
of  the  vast  wastes,  and  their  adventures  are  of  unusual  interest.  Sketches 
of  shooting  and  fishing  experiences  are  introduced  in  a  manner  which  should 
stimulate  the  faculty  of  observation  and  give  a  healthy  love  for  country 
Ufe;  while  the  record  of  the  fen-men's  stealthy  resistance  to  the  great 
draining  scheme  is  full  of  the  keenest  interest.  The  ambushes  and  shots 
in  the  mist  and  dark,  the  incendiary  fires,  the  bursting  of  the  sea-wall, 
aod  ^bf>  long-baffled  attempts  to  trace  the  lurking  foe,  are  described  with 
Mr.  Manville  Fenn's  wonted  skill  in  the  management  of  mystery. 


"We  should  say  that  in  Dick  o'  the 
Fens  Mr.  Manville  Fenn  has  verynearly 
attained  perfection.  Life  in  the  Fen 
country  in  the  old  ante-drainage  days 
is  admirably  reproduced.  ...  Al- 
together we  have  not  of   late  come 


across  a  historical  fiction,  whether  in- 
tended for  boys  or  for  men,  which  de- 
serves to  be  so  heartily  and  unreservedly 
praised  as  regards  plot,  incidents,  and 
spirit  as  Dick  o'  the  Fens.  It  is  its  au- 
thor's masterpiece  as  yet."— Spectator. 


BBOWNSMITH'S  BOY. 

By  George  Manville  Fenn.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations 
by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and  tint.  Crown  8vo,  cloth 
elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

The  career  of  "  Brownsmith's  Boy"  embraces  the  home  adventures  of 
an  orphan,  who,  having  formed  the  acquaintance  of  an  eccentric  old  gar- 
dener, accepts  his  offer  of  a  home  and  finds  that  there  is  plenty  of  romance 
in  a  garden,  and  much  excitement  even  in  a  journey  now  and  then  to 
town.  In  a  half -savage  lad  he  finds  a  friend  who  shows  his  love  and  fidelity 
principally  by  pretending  to  be  an  enemy.  In  ^'  Brownsmith's  Boy  "  there 
is  abundance  of  excitement  and  trouble  within  four  walls. 


"Brownsmith's  Boy  excels  all  the 
numerous  'juvenile'  books  that  the 
present  season  has  yet  produced."— 
Aeadbmy. 

"Mr.  Fenn's  books  are  among  the 
best,  if  not  altogether  the  best,  of  the 
stories  for  boys.  Mr.  Fenn  is  at  his 
best  in  Brownsmith's  Boy.    The  story 


is  a  thoroughly  manly  and   healthy 
one." — Pictorial  World. 

"Brownsmith's  Boy  must  rank  among 
the  few  undeniably  good  boys'  books. 
He  will  be  a  very  dull  boy  indeed  who 
lays  it  down  without  wishing  that  it 
had  gone  on  for  at  least  100  pages 
more.  "—North  British  Mail. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE,  17 


BY   GEORGE    MANVILLE    FENN. 

"Mr.  Manville  Fenn  may  be  regarded  as  the  successor  in  boyhood's  affections 
of  Captain  Mayne  Reid."— Academy. 


Q  UICKSIL  VER: 

Or  a  Boy  with  no  Skid  to  his  Wheel.  By  George  Manville 
Fenn.  With  10  full-page  Illustrations  by  Frank  Dadd. 
Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $.1'50. 

Dr.  Grayson  has  a  theory  that  any  boy,  if  rightly  trained,  can  be  made 
into  a  gentleman  and  a  great  man;  and  in  order  to  confute  a  friendly 
objector  decides  to  select  from  the  workhouse  a  boy  to  experiment  with. 
He  chooses  a  boy  with  a  bad  reputation  but  with  excellent  instincts,  and 
adopts  him,  the  story  narrating  the  adventures  of  the  mercurial  lad  who 
thus  finds  himself  suddenly  lifted  several  degrees  in  the  social  scale.  The 
idea  is  novel  and  handled  with  Mr.  Manville  Fenn's  accustomed  cleverness, 
the  restless  boyish  nature,  with  its  inevitable  tendency  to  get  into  scrapes, 
being  sympathetically  and  often  humorously  drawn. 


' '  Quichnlvey  is  little  short  of  an  in- 
spiration. In  it  that  prince  of  story- 
writers  for  boys— George  Manville  Fenn 
—has  surpassed  himself.  It  is  an  ideal 
book  for  a  boy's  library." — Practical 
Teacher. 

"Mr.  Fenn  possesses  the  true  secret 


of  producing  real  and  serviceable  boys' 
books.  Every  word  he  writes  is  in- 
formed with  full  knowledge  and,  even 
more  important,  quick  sympathy  with 
all  the  phases  of  youthful  life.  In 
Quicksilver  he  displays  these  qualities 
in  a  high  degree." — Dundee  Advertiser. 


DEVON  BOYS: 

A  Tale  of  the  North  Shore.  By  George  Manville  Fenn.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1  -50. 

The  adventures  of  Sep  Duncan  and  his  school  friends  take  place  in  the 
early  part  of  the  Georgian  era,  during  the  wars  between  England  and  France. 
The  scene  is  laid  on  the  picturesque  rocky  coast  of  North  Devon,  where  the 
three  lads  pass  through  many  perils  both  afloat  and  ashore.  Fishermen, 
smugglers,  naval  officers,  and  a  stern  old  country  surgeon  play  their  parts 
in  the  story,  which  is  one  of  honest  adventure  with  the  mastering  of  diffi* 
culties  in  a  wholesome  manly  way,  mingled  with  sufficient  excitement  to 
satisfy  the  most  exacting  reader.  The  discovery  of  the  British  silver  mine 
and  its  working  up  and  defence  take  up  a  large  portion  of  the  story. 

for  the  individuality  of  its  young  heroes 
— the  cynical  Bob  Chowne  being  especi- 
ally good— as  for  the  excellent  descrip- 
tions of  coast  scenery  and  life  in  North 
Devon.  It  is  one  of  the  best  books  we 
have  seen  this  seaaon."— Athenaeum. 


* '  We  do  not  know  that  Mr.  Fenn  has 
ever  reached  a  higher  level  than  he  has 
in  Devon  Boys.  It  must  be  put  in  the 
very  front  rank  of  Christmas  books."— 
Spectator. 

"  An  admirable  story,  as  remarkable 


18 


BOOKS  FOR  YOU  NO  PEOPLE. 


BY    GEORGE    MANVILLE    FENN. 

' '  There  is  a  freshness,  a  buoyancy,  a  heartiness  about  Mr.  Fenn's  writings. "  —iStondard. 


THE    GOLDEN  MAGNET: 

A  Tale  of  the  Land  of  the  Incas.  By  G.  Manvillb  Fenn. 
With  12  full-page  Pictures  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1"50. 

The  tale  is  of  a  romantic  lad,  who  leaves  home,  where  his  father  conducts 
a  failing  business,  to  seek  his  fortune  in  South  America  by  endeavouring  to 
discover  some  of  that  treasure  which  legends  declare  was  ages  ago  hidden 
by.  the  Peruvian  rulers  and  the  priests  of  that  mysterious  country,  to  pre- 
serve it  from  the  Spanish  invaders.  The  hero  of  the  story  is  accompanied 
by  a  faithful  companion,  who,  in  the  capacity  both  of  comrade  and  hench- 
man, does  true  service,  and  shows  the  dogged  courage  of  the  British  lad 
during  the  strange  adventures  which  befall  them.  The  plot  of  the  story 
is  simple,  but  the  movement  is  rapid  and  full  of  strange  excitement. 


"This  is,  we  think,  the  best  boys' 
book  Mr.  Fenn  has  produced.  .  .  . 
The  illustrations  are  perfect  in  their 
\f2iy"— Globe. 

"There  could  be  no  more  welcome 
present  for  a  boy.    There  is  not  a  dull 


page  in  the  book,  and  many  will  be 
read  with  breathless  interest.  'The 
Golden  Magnet'  is,  of  course,  the  same 
one  that  attracted  Raleigh  and  the 
heroes  of  Westward  Ho!"— Journal  of 
Education. 


BUNYIP    LAND: 

The  Story  of  a  Wild  Journey  in  New  Guinea.  By  G.  Man- 
viLLE  Fenn.  .  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon 
Browne.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1'50. 

"Bunyip  Land"  is  the  story  of  an  eminent  botanist,  who  ventures  into 
the  interior  of  New  Guinea  in  his  search  for  new  plants.  Years  pass  away, 
and  he  does  not  return;  and  though  supposed  to  be  dead,  his  young  wife 
and  son  refuse  to  believe  it ;  and  as  soon  as  he  is  old  enough  young  Joe 
goes  in  search  of  his  father,  accompanied  by  Jimmy,  a  native  black.  Their 
adventures  are  many  and  exciting,  but  after  numerous  perils  they  discover 
the  lost  one,  a  prisoner  among  the  blacks,  and  bring  him  home  in  triumph. 


"Mr.  Fenn  deserves  the  thanks  of 
everybody  for  '  Bunyip  Land '  and  '  Men- 
hardoc,'  and  we  may  venture  to  promise 
that  a  quiet  week  may  be  reckoned  on 
whilst  the  youngsters  have  such  fascinat- 
ing literature  provided  for  their  even- 
ings' &vims,&mGXit."— Spectator. 


"One  of  the  best  tales  of  adventure 
produced  by  any  living  writer,  combining 
the  inventiveness  of  Jules  Verne,  and  the 
solidity  of  character  and  earnestness  of 
spirit  -which  have  made  the  English  vic- 
torious in  so  many  fields  of  labour  and 
research."— Daiiy  Chronicle. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE.  19 


BY  GEORGE  MANVILLE  FENN. 

*'Onr  boys  know  Mr.  Fenn  well,  his  stories  having  won  for  him  a  foremost 
p1;u:e  in  their  estimation." — Pall  Mall  Gazette. 


IN  THE  KING'S  NAME: 

Or  the  Cruise  of  the  Kestrel.  By  G.  Manville  Fenn.  Illus- 
trated by  12  full-page  Pictures  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black 
and  tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

"In  the  King's  Name"  is  a  spirited  story  of  the  Jacobite  times,  con- 
cerning the  adventures  of  Hilary  Leigh,  a  young  naval  officer  in  the 
preventive  service  off  the  coast  of  Sussex,  on  board  the  Kestrel.  Leigh 
is  taken  prisoner  by  the  adherents  of  the  Pretender,  amongst  whom  is  an 
early  friend  and  patron  who  desires  to  spare  the  lad's  life,  but  will  not  release 
him.     The  narrative  is  full  of  exciting  and  often  humoroii«  incident. 


"Mr.  Fenn  has  won  a  foremost  place 
among  writers  for  boys.  *In  the  King's 
Name'  is,  we  think,  the  best  of  all  his 
productions  in  this  field."— iJaiZy  News. 


"Told  with  the  freshness  and  verve 
which  characterize  all  Mr.  Fenn's  writ- 
ings and  put  him  in  the  front  rank  of 
writers  for  boys." — Standard. 


MENIIABBOC: 

A  Story  of  Cornish  Nets  and  Mines.  By  G.  Manville  Fenn. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland,  E.I.,  in 
black  and  tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant.  |r50. 

The  scene  of  this  story  of  boyish  aspiration  and  adventure  is  laid  among 
the  granite  piles  and  tors  of  Cornwall.  Here  amongst  the  hardy,  honest 
fishermen  and  miners  the  two  London  boys  are  inducted  into  the  secrets  of 
fishing  in  the  great  bay,  they  learn  how  to  catch  mackerel,  pollack,  and  conger 
with  the  line,  and  are  present  at  the  hauling  of  the  nets,  although  not  with- 
out incurring  many  serious  risks.  Adventures  are  pretty  plentiful,  but 
the  story  has  for  its  strong  base  the  development  of  character  of  the  three 
boys.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  quaint  character  throughout,  and  the 
sketches  of  Cornish  life  and  local  colouring  are  based  upon  experience  in 
the  bay,  whose  fishing  village  is  called  here  Menhardoc.  This  is  a  thor- 
oughly English  story  of  phases  of  Hfe  but  Httle  touched  upon  in  boys' 
literature  up  to  the  present  time. 


"They  are  real  living  boys,  with  the 
virtues  and  faults  which  characterize  the 
transition  stage  between  boyhood  and 
manhood.  The  Cornish  fishermen  are 
drawn  from  life,  they  are  racy  of  the  soil, 
salt  with  the  sea  water,  and  they  stand 
out  from  the  pages  in  their  jerseys  and 


sea-boots  all  sprinkled  with  silvery  pil- 
chard scales." — Spectator. 

"Mr.  Fenn  has  written  many  books  in 
his  time ;  he  has  not  often  written  one 
which  for  genuine  merit  as  a  story  for 
young  people  will  exceed  this." — ScoU- 
man. 


20 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY   GEORGE    MANVILLE    FENN. 

*'No  one  can  find  his  way  to  the  hearts  of  lads  more  readily  than  Mr.  Fenn." — 
Nottingham  Guardian.  

PATIENCU    WINS: 

Or,  War  in  the  Works.  By  G.  Manville  Fenn.  AVith  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and  tint. 
Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $1'50. 

This  is  a  graphic  narrative  of  factory  life  in  the  Black  Country.  The 
hero,  Cob,  and  his  three  uncles,  engineers,  machinists,  and  inventors,  go 
down  to  Arrowfield  to  set  up  "a  works."  They  find,  however,  that  the 
workmen,  through  prejudice  and  ignorance,  are  determined  to  have  no 
new-fangled  machinery.  After  a  series  of  narrow  escapes  and  stirring 
encounters,  the  workmen  by  degrees  find  that  no  malice  is  borne  against 
them,  and  at  last  admiration  takes  the  place  of  hatred.  A  great  business  is 
built  up,  and  its  ^Foundation  is  laid  on  the  good-will  of  th^  men. 


'*An  excellent  story,  the  interest  be- 
ing sustained  from  first  to  last.  This 
is,  both  in  its  intention  and  the  way 
the  story  is  told,  one  of  the  best  books 
of  its  kind  which  has  come  before  us 
this  yesLY." —Saturday  Review. 

"  Mr.  Fenn  is  at  his  best  in  *  Patience 
Wins.'  It  is  sure  to  prove  acceptable 
to  youthful  readers,  and  will  give  a  good 
idea  of  that  which  was  the  real  state  of 


one  of  our  largest  manufacturing  towns 
not  many  years  ago."— Guardian. 

"Mr.  Fenn  has  written  many  a  book 
for  boys,  but  never  has  ^he  hit  upon  a 
happier  plan  than  in  writing  this  story 
of  Yorkshire  factory  life.  The  whole 
book,  from  page  1  to  352,  is  all  aglow 
with  life,  the  scenes  varying  continu- 
ally with  kaleidoscopic  rapidity."— 
Pall  Mall  Gazette. 


NAT   THE  NATURALIST: 

A  Boy's  Adventures  in  the  Eastern  Seas.  By  G.  Manville 
Fenn.  Illustrated  by  8  full-page  Pictures  by  Gordon  Browne, 
in  black  and  tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $1*50. 

This  is  a  pleasant  story  of  a  lad  who  has  a  great  desire  to  go  abroad  to 
seek  specimens  in  natural  history,  and  has  that  desire  gratified.  The 
boy  Nat  and  his  uncle  Dick  go  on  a  voyage  to  the  remoter  islands  of 
the  Eastern  seas,  and  their  adventures  there  are  told  in  a  truthful  and 
vastly  interesting  fashion,  which  will  at  once  attract  and  maintain  the 
earnest  attention  of  young  readers.  The  descriptions  of  Mr.  Ebony,  their 
black  comrade,  and  of  the  scenes  of  savage  life,  are  full  of  genuine  humour. 

**  Mr.  Manville  Fenn  has  here  hit  upon 
a  capital  idea.  .  .  .  This  is  among  the 
best  of  the  boys'  books  of  the  season." — 
The  Times. 

"  This  soi-t  of  book  encourages  inde- 
pendence of  character,  develops  resource, 
and  teaches  a  boy  to  keep  his  eyes  open." 
— Saturday  Review. 


"We  can  conceive  of  no  more  attrac- 
tive present  for  a  young  naturalist." — 
Land  and  Water. 

"The  late  Lord  Palmerston  used  to 
say  that  one  use  of  M'ar  was  to  teach 
geography;  such  books  as  this  teach  it 
in  a  more  harmless  and  cheaper  way." — 
AthenoBum. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE.  21 

BY    GEORGE    MANVILLE    FENN. 

"Mr.  Fenn  is  in  the  front  rank  of  writers  of  stories  for  boys."— Liverpool 
Mercury.  

MOTHER   CABBY'S  CHICKEN: 

Her  Voyage  to  the  Unknown  Isle.  By  G.  Manville  Fenn. 
With  8  full -page  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant, 
olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

A  stirring  story  of  adventure  in  the  Eastern  seas,  where  a  lad  shares  the 
perils  of  his  father,  the  captain  of  the  merchant  ship  The  Pttrtl.  After 
touching  at  Singapore,  they  are  becalmed  off  one  of  the  tropic  isles,  where 
the  ship  is  attacked  and,  after  a  desperate  fight,  set  on  fire  by  Malay 
pirates.  They  escape  in  a  boat  and  drift  ashore  upon  a  beautiful  volcanic 
island,  where,  after  sundry  adventures,  they  come  upon  the  half-burned 
remains  of  the  ship,  out  of  whose  timbers  they  construct  a  small  vessel, 
but  when  on  the  point  of  sailing  are  discovered  by  the  Malays.  They  are 
in  great  peril,  when  a  volcanic  eruption,  while  increasing  their  danger, 
relieves  them  of  their  enemies,  and  they  finally  escape  and  reach  a  civilized 
port. 

"  Jules  Verne  himself  never  con-  manly  vigour  of  his  sentiment,  and 
structed  a  more  marvellous  tale.  It  wholesome  moral  lessons.  For  any- 
contains  the  strongly  marked  features  thing  to  match  his  realistic  touch  we 
that  are  always  conspicuous  in  Mr.  must  go  to  Daniel  Defoe." — Christian 
Fenn's    stories  — a  racy  humour,   the        Leader. 

YUSSUF   THE   GUIDE: 

Being  the  Strange  Story  of  the  Travels  in  Asia  Minor  of  Burne 
the  Lawyer,  Preston  the  Professor,  and  Lawrence  the  Sick. 
By  G.  Manville  Fenn.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by 
John  Schonberg.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $1-50. 

Deals  with  the  stirring  incidents  in  the  career  of  Lawrence  Grange,  a 
lad  who  has  been  almost  given  over  by  the  doctors,  but  who  rapidly 
recovers  health  and  strength  in  a  journey  through  Asia  Minor  with  his 
guardians  "The  Professor"  and  "The  Lawyer."  Yussuf  is  their  guide; 
and  in  their  journeyings  through  the  wild  mountain  region  in  search  of 
the  ancient  cities  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans  they  penetrate  where  law  is 
disregarded,  and  finally  fall  into  the  hands  of  brigands.  Their  adventures 
in  this  rarely-traversed  romantic  region  are  many,  and  culminate  in  the 
travellers  being  snowed  up  for  the  winter  in  the  mountains,  from  which 
they  escape  while  their  captors  are  waiting  for  the  ransom  that  does  not 
come. 


'This  story  is  told  with  such  real 
freshness  and  vigour  that  the  reader 
feels  he  is  actually  one  of  the  party, 
sharing  in  the  fun  and  facing  the  dangers 
with  them."— Paii  Mall  Gazette. 


"  Takes  its  readers  into  scenes  that 
will  have  great  novelty  and  attraction 
for  them,  and  the  experiences  with  the 
brigands  will  be  especially  delightful  to 
the  boyish  imagination."— o'coi^/nan. 


22 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNQ  PEOPLE. 


BY   SARAH    DOUDNEY. 


UNDER  FALSE   COLOURS. 

By  Sarah  Doudney.     With  12  full-page  Illustratious  by  G.  G. 
KiLBURNE.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

A  story  which,  while  it  is  eminently  suitable  for  girls'  reading  because 
of  the  purity  of  its  style,  its  genuine  pathos  and  healthy  sentiment,  has  in 
it  so  strong  a  dramatic  element  that  it  will  attract  readers  of  all  ages  and 
of  either  sex.  The  incidents  of  the  plot,  arising  from  the  thoughtless  indul- 
gence of  a  deceptive  freak,  are  exceedingly  natural,  and  the  keen  interest 
of  the  narrative  is  sustained  from  beginning  to  end.  It  is  worthy  of  the 
high  reputation  attained  by  the  author  as  a  writer  of  stories  interesting  as 
novels  and  destined  for  the  delight  of  the  home  circle. 


"This  is  a  charming  story,  abound- 
ing in  delicate  touches  of  sentiment 
and  pathos.  Its  plot  is  skilfully  con- 
trived. It  will  be  read  with  a  warm 
interest  by  every  girl  who  takes  it  up." 
— Scotsman. 

"  Sarah  Doudney  has  no  superior  as 


a  writer  of  high-toned  stories— pure  in 
style,  original  in  conception,  and  with 
skilfully  wrought-out  plots;  but  we 
have  seen  nothing  from  this  lady's  pen 
equal  in  dramatic  energy  to  her  latest 
work,  Under  False  Colours." — Christian 
Leader. 


BY  ROSA   MULHOLLAND. 


GLANNETTA: 

A  GirFs  Story  of  Herself.  By  EosA  Mulholland.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Lockhart  Bogle.  Crown  Svo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  |1'50. 

The  daughter  of  an  Anglo-Irish  gentleman,  who  had  married  a  poor 
Swiss  girl,  was  stolen  as  an  infant  by  some  of  her  mother's  relatives.  The 
child  having  died,  they  afterwards  for  the  sake  of  gain  substitute  another 
child  for  it,  and  the  changeling,  after  becoming  a  clever  modeller  of  clay 
images,  is  suddenly  transferred  to  the  position  of  a  rich  heiress.  She 
develops  into  a  good  and  accomplished  woman,  and  though  the  imposture 
of  her  early  friends  is  finally  discovered,  she  has  gained  too  much  love  and 
devotion  to  be  really  a  sufferer  by  the  surrender  of  her  estates. 


"Extremely  well  told  and  full  of 
interest.  Giannetta  is  a  true  heroine — 
warm-hearted,  self-sacriflcing,  and,  as 
all  good  women  nowadays  are,  largely 
touched  with  the  enthusiasm  of  huma- 
nity. The  illustrations  are  unusually 
good,  and  combine  with  the  binding 
and  printing  to  make  this  one  of  the 


most  attractive  gift-books  of  the  sea- 
son."—T/ie  Academy. 

"No  better  book  could  be  selected 
for  a  young  girl's  reading,  as  its  object 
is  evidently  to  hold  up  a  mirror,  in 
which  are  seen  some  of  the  brightest 
and  noblest  traits  in  the  female  char- 
acter. "—Schoolmistress. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


23 


BY    HARRY   COLLINGWOOD. 

Mr.  G,  A.  Heuty  has  found  a  formidable  rival  in  Mr.  Collingwood."— .Academy. 


THE  LOG    OF  THE  "FLYING  FISH:" 

A  Story  of  Aerial  and  Submarine  Peril  and  Adventure.  By 
Harry  Collingwood.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by 
Gordon  Browne.    Crown  8vo,  cl.  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1'60. 

In  this  story  the  aim  of  the  author  has  been,  not  only  to  interest  and 
amuse,  but  also  to  stimulate  a  taste  for  scientific  study.  He  has  utilized 
natural  science  as  a  peg  whereon  to  hang  the  web  of  a  narrative  of  absorb- 
ing interest,  interweaving  therewith  sundry  very  striking  scientific  facts 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  provoke  a  desire  for  further  information. 

Professor  Von  Schalckenberg  constructs  a  gigantic  and  wonderful  ship, 
appropriately  named  the  Flying  Fish,  which  is  capable  of  navigating  not 
only  the  higher  reaches  of  the  atmosphere,  but  also  the  extremest  depths 
of  ocean;  and  in  her  the  four  adventurers  make  a  voyage  to  the  North 
Pole,  and  to  a  hitherto  unexplored  portion  of  Central  Africa. 


"The  Flying  Fish,  that  marvellous 
achievement  of  science,  actually  sur- 
passes all  Jules  Verne's  creations;  with 
incredible  speed  she  flies  through  the 
air,  skims  over  the  surface  of  the  water, 
and  darts  along  the  ocean  bed.  We 
strongly  recommend  our  school-boy 
friends  to  possess  themselves  of  her 
log.  "—Athe7iceum. 


**Ts  full  of  even  more  vividly  re- 
counted adventures  than  those  which 
charmed  so  many  boy  readers  iu  Pirate 
Island  and  Congo  Rovers.  .  .  .  There 
is  a  thrilling  adventure  on  the  preci- 
pices of  Mount  Everest,  when  the  ship 
floats  off  and  providentially  returns  by 
force  of  *  gravitation. '  "—Academy. 


THE  MISSING  MERCHANTMAK 

By  Harry  Collingwood.     With  8  full-page  Pictures  by  W.  H. 
OvEREND.     Crown  Svo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

A  fine  Australian  clipper  is  seized  by  the  crew;  the  passengers  are  landed 
on  one  desert  island,  the  captain  and  a  junior  officer  on  another;  and  the 
young  hero  of  the  story  is  kept  on  board  to  navigate  the  ship.  The  muti- 
neers refit  the  ship  as  a  pirate  vessel  at  an  island  which  affords  them  con- 
venient shelter,  and  in  which  Ned  makes  the  discovery  of  an  old-world 
treasure-hoard.  At  length,  with  the  aid  of  a  repentant  member  of  the 
crew,  Ned  succeeds  in  carrying  off  the  ship.  In  the  meantime  the  captain 
and  his  associates  have  succeeded  in  rejoining  the  passengers,  and  they  are 
after  many  adventures  found  by  Ned. 

"Mr.  Collingwood  is  facile  princeps  "This  is  one  of  the  author's  best  sea 

as  a  teller  of  sea  stories  for  boys,  and  stories.    The  hero  is  as  heroic  as  any 

the  present  is  one  of  the  best  produc-  boy  could  desire,  and  the  ending  is 

tions  of  his  ^qu."— Standard.  extremely  happy. "—£nttsA  Weekly. 


24 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  P:tOPLE. 


BY    HARRY   COLLINGWOOD. 

"Mr.  Collingwood  has  established  his  reputation  as  a  first-rate  writer  of  sea- 
stories.  "Scotsman. 


THE  MOVER'S  8ECBET: 

A  Tale  of  the  Pirate  Cays  and  Lagoons  of  Cuba.  By  Harrt 
Collingwood.  With  8  full -page  Illustrations  by  W.  C. 
Symons.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

The  hero  of  the  Rover's  Secret,  a  young  officer  of  the  British  navy,  nar- 
rates his  peculiar  experiences  in  childhood  and  his  subsequent  perils  and 
achievements:  the  mutiny  on  board  the  Hermione;  his  escape  with  a  com- 
panion to  La  Guayra,  their  seizure  by  the  Spaniards,  their  romantic  flight, 
and  the  strange  blunder  which  commits  them  to  a  cruise  to  the  head- 
quarters of  the  notorious  pirate  Merlani,  whose  ultimate  capture  and  con- 
fession come  about  in  a  way  as  exciting  as  unexpected. 

the  days  of  Captain  Marryat,  there  has 
arisen  a  writer  who  combined  fertility 
of  invention  in  stiiTing  episodes,  with 
practical  knowledge  of  seafaring  life, 
in  the  degree  to  which  Mr.  Colling- 
wood attains  in  this  volume." — Scottish 
Leader. 


"  The  Rover's  Secret  is  by  far  the  best 
sea-story  we  have  read  for  years,  and  is 
certain  to  give  unalloyed  pleasure  to 
boys.  The  illustrations  are  fresh  and 
vigorous.  "—Sa  turday  Re  v  iew. 

"A  book  that  will  rejoice  the  hearts 
of  most  lads.   We  doubt  whether,  since 


THE  PIRATE  ISLAND: 

A  Story  of  the  South  Pacific.  By  Harry  Collingwood.  Illus- 
trated by  8  full-page  Pictures  by  C.  J.  Staniland  anrl  J.  E. 
Wells,  in  black  and  tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant.  $i'50. 

This  story  details  the  adventures  of  a  lad  who  was  found  in  his  infancy 
on  board  a  wreck,  and  is  adopted  by  a  fisherman.  By  a  deed  of  true  gal- 
lantry his  whole  destiny  is  changed,  and,  going  to  sea,  he  forms  one  of  a 
party  who,  after  being  burned  out  of  their  ship  in  the  South  Pacific,  and 
experiencing  great  hardship  and  suffering  in  their  boats,  are  picked  up 
by  a  pirate  brig  and  taken  to  the  "  Pirate  Island."  After  many  thrilling 
adventures,  they  ultimately  succeed  in  effecting  their  escape.  The  story 
depicts  both  the  Christian  and  the  manly  virtues  in  such  colours  as  will 
cause  them  to  be  admired — and  therefore  imitated. 


"  A  capital  story  of  the  sea ;  indeed 
in  our  opinion  the  author  is  superior 
in  some  respects  as  a  marine  novelist 
to  the  better  known  Mr.  Clarke  Rus- 
sell."—TAe  Times. 

"  The  best  of  these  books.  .  .  .  The 
events  are  described  with  minuteness 
and  care.  The  result  is  a  very  amusing 
\iQQk."— Saturday  Review. 


"Told  in  the  most  vivid  and  graphic 
language.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a 
more  thoroughly  delightful  gift-book." 
—The  Guardian. 

'*  One  of  the  very  best  books  for  boys 
that  we  have  seen  for  a  long  time:  its 
author  stands  far  in  advance  of  any 
other  writer  for  boys  as  a  teller  of 
stories  of  tlie  sea.  "—The  Standard, 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNO  PEOPLE. 


25 


BY    HARRY    COLLINGWOOD. 

"  Stands  far  in  advance  of  any  other  writer  for  boys  as  a  teller  of  sea  stories.  ' 

—Standardt 


THE    CONGO   B0VEB8: 


A  Tale  of  the  Slave  Squadron.  By  Harry  Collin gwood. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  Schonberg,  in  black  and 
tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1*50. 

The  scene  of  this  tale  is  laid  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  and  in  the 
lower  reaches  of  the  Congo;  the  characteristic  scenery  of  the  great  river 
being  delineated  with  wonderful  accuracy  and  completeness  of  detail. 
The  hero  of  the  story — a  midshipman  on  board  one  of  the  ships  of  the  slave 
squadron — after  being  effectually  laughed  out  of  his  boyish  vanity,  develops 
into  a  lad  possessed  of  a  large  share  of  sound  common  sense,  the  exercise 
of  which  enables  him  to  render  much  valuable  service  to  his  superior  officers 
in  unmasking  a  most  daring  and  successful  ruse  on  the  part  of  the  slavers. 


"Mr.  Collingwood  carries  us  off  for 
another  cruise  at  sea,  in  The  Congo 
Rovers,  and  boys  will  need  no  press- 
ing to  join  the  daring  crew,  which  seeks 
adventures  and  meets  with  any  number 
of  them."— 27i(3  T Lines. 


"We  can  heartily  recommend  The 
Congo  Rovers  as  a  book  that  boys  will 
be  sure  to  read  throughout  with  plea- 
sure, and  with  advantage,  also,  to 
their  morals  and  their  imaginations.  "— 
Academy. 


BY  G.  NORWAY. 


THE  LOSS   OF  JOHN  HUMBLE: 

What  Led  to  It,  and  what  Came  of  it,  By  G.  Norway.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  John  Schonberg.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1'50. 

John  Humble,  an  orphan,  is  sent  to  sea  with  his  Uncle  Rolf,  the  captain 
of  the  Erl  King,  but  in  the  course  of  certain  adventures,  in  which  Rolf 
shows  both  skill  and  courage,  the  boy  is  left  behind  at  Portsmouth.  He 
escapes  to  a  Norwegian  vessel,  the  Thor,  which  is  driven  from  her  course 
in  a  voyage  to  Hammerfest,  and  wrecked  on  a  desolate  shore.  The  si  r- 
vivors  experience  the  miseries  of  a  long  sojourn  in  the  Arctic  circle,  with 
inadequate  means  of  supporting  life,  but  ultimately,  with  the  aid  of  some 
friendly  but  thievish  Lapps,  they  succeed  in  making  their  way  to  a  reindeer 
station  and  so  southward  to  Tornea  and  homo  again.  The  story  throughout 
is  singularly  vivid  and  truthful  in  its  details,  the  individual  characters  are 
fresh  and  well  marked,  and  a  pleasant  vein  of  humour  relieves  the  stress  of 
the  more  tragic  incidents  in  the  story. 


26 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY   SARAH    TYTLER. 


GIRL   NEIGHBOURS: 

Or,  The  Old  Fashion  and  the  New.  By  Sarah  Tytler.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  T.  Garland.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  f  1'50. 

A  story  specially  adapted  for  girls,  told  in  that  quaint  delightful  fashion 
which  has  made  Miss  Tytler's  former  books  so  popular  and  attractive. 
The  characters  of  the  Girl  Neighbours  Sapientia  (Pie)  Stubbs,  and  Harriet 
(Harry)  Cotton,  who  may  be  said  respectively  to  illustrate  the  old  and  the 
new  fashioned  method  of  education,  are  admirably  delineated;  and  the 
introduction  of  the  two  young  ladies  from  London,  who  represent  the 
modern  institutions  of  professional  nursing  and  schools  of  cookery,  is  very 
happily  effected.  The  story  possesses  abundant  humour  and  piquant 
descriptions  of  character. 


' '  One  of  the  most  effective  and  quietly 
Immorous  of  Miss  Tytler's  stories.  Girl 
Neighbours  is  a  healthy  comedy,  not 
so  much  of  errors  as  of  prejudices  got 
rid  of,  very  healthy,  very  agreeable, 
and  very  well  YfniiQn."— Spectator. 


"Girls  will  find  it  very  interesting. 
The  illustrations  are  very  good;  the 
frontispiece,  especially,  possesses  a  deli- 
cacy of  execution  not  often  met  with 
in  books  of  this  class."— 5'cAooZ  Guar- 
dian. 


BY  ASCOTT    R.   HOPE. 


THE  WIOWAM  AND   THE  WAR-PATH: 

Stories  of  the  Eed  Indians.  By  Ascott  K.  Hope.  With  8  full- 
page  Pictures  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and  tint.  Crown 
8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $1*50. 

The  interest  taken  by  boys  in  stories  of  the  North  American  Indians  is 
probably  as  keen  as  ever.  At  all  events  the  works  of  Fenimore  Cooper  and 
other  writers  about  the  red  men  and  the  wild  hunters  of  the  forests  and 
prairies  are  still  among  the  most  popular  of  boys'  books.  "The  Wigwam 
and  the  War-path"  consists  of  stories  of  Red  Indians  which  are  none  the 
less  romantic  for  being  true.  They  are  taken  from  the  actual  records  of 
those  who  have  been  made  prisoners  by  the  red  men  or  have  lived  among 
them,  joining  in  their  expeditions  and  taking  part  in  their  semi-savage  but 
often  picturesque  and  adventurous  life. 


"Mr.  Hope's  volume  is  notably  good: 
it  gives  a  very  vivid  picture  of  life 
among  the  Indians."— iSpectoior. 

"So  far,  nothing  can  be  better  than 
Mr.  Ascott  Hope's  choice  of  The  Wig- 


wam and  the  War-path  as  the  name  of 
a  collection  of  all  the  most  scalping 
stories,  so  to  speak,  of  the  North  Ame- 
rican Indians  we  have  ever  heard."— 
Saturday  Review. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


27 


BY    F.   FRANKFORT    MOORE. 

"Ill  writing  a  spirited  tale  of  adventure  to  delight  the  hearts  of  boys,  Mr. 
Frankfort  Moore  shows  himself  a  master.  "—T/ie  Guardian. 


HIGHWAYS  AND  HIGH  SEAS: 

Cyril  Harley's  Adventures  on  Both.  By  F.  Frankfort  Moore. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Alfred  Pearse.  Crown 
8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

The  story  belongs  to  a  period  when  highways  meant  post-chaises, 
coaches,  and  highwaymen,  and  when  high  seas  meant  post-captains, 
frigates,  privateers,  and  smugglers;  and  the  hero — a  boy  who  has  some 
remarkable  experiences  upon  both — tells  his  story  with  no  less  humour 
than  vividness.  He  shows  incidentally  how  little  real  courage  and  romance 
there  frequently  was  about  the  favourite  law-breakers  of  fiction,  but  how 
they  might  give  rise  to  the  need  of  the  highest  courage  in  others  and  lead 
to  romantic  adventures  of  an  exceedingly  exciting  kind.  A  certain 
piquancy  is  given  to  the  story  by  a  slight  trace  of  nineteenth  century 
malice  in  the  picturing  of  eighteenth  century  life  and  manners. 


UNDER  HATCHES: 

Or,  Ned  Woodthorpe's  Adventures.  By  F.  Frankfort  Moore. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  A.  Forestier.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

In  rescuing  another  lad  from  drowning,  Ned  Woodthorpe  is  compelled 
to  take  refuge  in  a  light-ship,  from  which  he  is  involuntarily  transferred 
to  an  outward-bound  convict-ship.  After  a  series  of  exciting  events,  in 
which  Bowkitt,  an  innocent  convict,  plays  a  brilHant  part,  the  convicts 
and  mutinous  crew  obtain  the  mastery  under  the  leadership  of  a  fanatical 
gold-seeker.  The  officers,  Ned,  and  Bowkitt  are  set  adrift  in  the  cutter, 
and  eventually  land  on  a  desert  island,  to  which  also  the  mutineers  find 
their  way.  By  the  want  of  discipline  of  the  latter,  opportunity  is  afforded 
for  the  daring  recapture  of  the  ship,  and  Ned  and  his  friends  escape  from 
the  island. 


"  Mr.  Moore  has  never  shown  him- 
self so  thoroughly  qualified  to  write 
books  for  boys  as  he  has  done  in  Under 
Hatches."— The  Academy. 

"A  first-rate  sea  story,  full  of  stirring 
incidents,  and,  from  a  literary  point  of 
view,  far  better  written  than  the  ma- 
jority of  books  for  boys."— PaZZ  Mall 
Gazette. 


"  A  story  that  will  just  suit  boys  all 
the  world  over.  The  characters  are 
well  drawn  and  consistent ;  Patsy,  the 
Irish  steward,  will  be  found  especially 
amusing." — Schoolmaster. 

"  Unless  we  are  greatly  mistaken  this 
will  prove  one  of  the  most  successful 
books  for  boys  issued  for  many  a  day." 
—Practical  Teacher. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY   ALICE   CORKRAN. 


DOWN   THE   SNOW  STAIRS: 

Or,  From  Good-night  to  Good-morning.  By  Alice  Corkran. 
With  60  character  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Square 
crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*25. 

This  is  a  remarkable  story:  full  of  vivid  fancy  and  quaint  originality. 
In  its  most  fantastic  imaginings  it  carries  with  it  a  sense  of  reality,  and 
derives  a  singular  attraction  from  that  combination  of  simplicity,  origi- 
nality, and  subtle  humour,  which  is  so  much  appreciated  by  lively  and 
thoughtful  children.  Children  of  a  larger  growth  will  also  be  deeply 
interested  in  Kitty's  strange  journey,  and  her  wonderful  experiences. 


"  A  fascinating  wonder-book  for  chil- 
dren. " — A  thenceum. 

"Among  all  the  Christmas  volumes 
which  the  year  has  brought  to  our 
table  this  one  stands  out  facile  prin- 
ceps—a,  gem  of  the  first  water,  bearing 


upon  every  one  of  its  pages  the  signet 
mark  of  genius.  .  .  .  All  is  told  with 
such  simplicity  and  perfect  natural- 
ness that  the  dream  appears  to  be  a 
solid  reality.  It  is  indeed  a  Little  Pil- 
grim's Progress." — Christian  Leader. 


MARGERY  MERTON'S  GIRLHOOD: 

By  Alice  Corkran.     With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon 
Browne.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1*25. 

The  experiences  of  an  orphan  girl  who  in  infancy  is  left  by  her  father — 
an  officer  in  India^to  the  care  of  an  elderly  aunt  residing  near  Paris.  The 
accounts  of  the  various  persons  who  have  an  after  influence  on  the  story, 
the  school  companions  of  Margery,  the  sisters  of  the  Conventual  College  of 
Art,  the  professor,  and  the  peasantry  of  Fontainebleau,  are  singularly 
vivid.  There  is  a  subtle  attraction  about  the  book  which  will  make  it  a 
great  favourite  with  thoughtful  girls. 


"Another  book  for  girls  we  can 
warmly  commend.  There  is  a  delight- 
ful piquancy  in  the  experiences  and 


trials  of  a  young  English  girl  who 
studies  painting  in  'Bdiri^."— Saturday 
Review. 


MEG'S  FRIEND. 

By  Alice  Corkran.     With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  Egbert 
Fowler.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1'25. 

Meg,  a  child  of  unknown  parentage,  has  been  brought  up  by  a  woman 
who  abuses  the  trust.  She  is  removed  to  a  ladies'  school,  passes  success- 
fully through  the  many  troubles  incident  to  so  complete  a  change,  and  is 
ultimately  taken  into  the  house  of  a  mysterious  benefactor,  who  proves  to 
be  her  grandfather.  Her  fine  nature  at  length  breaks  down  his  coldness 
and  apparent  aversion  to  her;  and  after  long  separation  she  once  more 
meets  the  friend  of  her  neglected  childhood. 


"Another  of  Miss  Corkran's  charm- 
ing books  for  girls,  narrated  in  that 
simple   and  picturesque  style   which 


marks  the  authoress  as  one  of  the  first 
amongst  writers  for  young  people." 
—The  Spectator. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE.  29 


BY    MARY    C.    ROWSELL. 


THORNDYKE   MANOR: 

A  Tale  of  Jacobite  Times.  By  Mary  C.  Eowsell.  With 
6  full-page  Illustrations  by  L.  Leslie  Brooke.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  extra,  $1'25. 

Thorndyke  Manor  is  an  old  house,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Thames,  which 
is  convenient,  on  account  of  its  secret  vaults  and  situation,  as  the  base 
of  operations  in  a  Jacobite  conspiracy.  In  conseqvience  its  owner,  a 
kindly,  quiet,  book-loving  squire,  who  lives  happily  with  his  sister,  bright 
Mistress  Amoril,  finds  himself  suddenly  involved  by  a  treacherous  steward 
in  the  closest  meshes  of  the  plot.  He  is  conveyed  to  the  Tower,  but  all 
difficulties  are  ultimately  overcome,  and  his  innocence  is  triumphantly 
proved  by  his  sister.  The  Hoo  in  Kent  makes  a  charming  as  well  as  a 
romantic  background  to  the  story,  which  is  an  excellent  representation 
of  English  life  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

TRAITOR    OR    PATRIOT f 

A  Tale  of  the  Eye-House  Plot.     By  Mary  C.  Eowsell.     With 

6  full-page  Pictures.    Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1*25. 

"A  romanticlove  episode,  whose  true  I  sticks  as  in  many  historical  tales." — 
characters  are  lifelike  beings,  not  dry    I    Graphic. 

BY   CAROLINE   AUSTIN. 


COUSIN    GEOFFREY   AND    L 

By  Caroline   Austin.     With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  W. 
Parkinson.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1*25. 

The  only  daughter  of  a  country  gentleman  finds  herself  unprovided  for 
at  her  father's  death,  and  for  some  time  lives  as  a  dependant  upon  the 
kinsman  who  has  inherited  the  property.  Life  is  kept  fi'om  being  entirely 
unbearable  to  her  by  her  cousin  Geoffrey,  who  at  length  meets  with  a 
serious  accident  for  which  she  is  held  responsible.  She  is  then  passed  on 
to  other  relatives,  who  prove  even  more  objectionable,  and  in  despair  she 
runs  away  and  makes  a  brave  attempt  to  earn  her  own  livelihood.  Being 
a  splendid  rider,  she  succeeds  in  doing  this,  until  the  startling  event  which 
brings  her  cousin  Geoffrey  and  herself  together  again. 

HUGH  HERBERTS  INHERITANCE. 

By  Caroline  Austin.     With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  T. 
Garland.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  $r25. 
"A  story  that  teaches  patience  as  well  as  courage  in  figliting  the  battles  of 
life.  "—Daily  Chronicle. 


80 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


SIR    WALTER'S    WARD: 

A  Tale  of  the  Crusades.  By  William  Everard.  With  6  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  Walter  Paget.  Crown  8vo,  cloth 
extra,  $1*25. 


"  This  book  will  prove  a  very  accep- 
table present  either  to  boys  or  girls. 
Both  alike  will  take  an  interest  in  the 
career  of  Dodo,  in  spite  of  his  unheroic 
name,  and  follow  him  through  his 
exciting  adventures."— J. cacZewy. 


"With  its  gentle  elevation,  its  large- 
hearted  charity,  its  quiet  satire  of  folly 
and  baseness,  the  story  is  one  to  win 
the  affection  and  charm  the  fancy  not 
only  of  boys  and  maidens,  but  also  of 
grown  men  and  women."— £ni.  Weekly. 


THE  SEARCH  FOR   THE    TALISMAN: 

A  Story  of  Labrador.     By  Henry   Frith.     With  6  full-page 
Illustrations  by  J.  Schonberg.    Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1*25. 


"Mr.  Frith's  volume  will  be  among 
those  most  read  and  highest  valued. 
The  adventures  among  seals,  whales, 
and  icebergs  in  Labrador  will  delight 
many  a  young  reader,  and  at  the  same 
time  give  him  an  opportunity  to  widen 


his  knowledge  of  the  Esquimaux,  the 
heroes  of  many  tales."  — Pa^i  Mall 
Gazette. 

"A  genial  and  rollicking  tale.  It  is 
a  regular  boys'  book,  and  a  very  cheery 
and  wholesome  one."— Spectator. 


STORIES    OF    OLD    RENOWN: 

Tales  of  Knights  and  Heroes.  By  Ascott  R.  Hope.  With  100 
Illustrations  from  designs  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  extra,  $1*25. 


"  Mr.  Ascott  Hope's  volume  makes  a 
really  fascinating  book,  worthy  of  its 
telling  title.  There  is,  we  venture  to 
say,  not  a  dull  page  in  the  book,  not 
a  story  which  will  not  bear  a  second 
TQdiAmg."  —Guardian. 


"Ogier  the  Dane,  Robert  of  Sicily, 
and  other  old-world  heroes  find  their 
deeds  embedded  in  beautiful  type,  and 
garnished  with  animated  sketches  by 
Gordon  Browne.  It  is  a  charming  gift- 
book." — Land  and  Water. 


REEFER    AND    RIFLEMAN: 

A  Tale  of  the  Two  Services.  By  J.  Percy-Groves,  late  27th 
Inniskillings.  With  6  full -page  Illustrations  by  John 
Schonberg.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1-25. 


"A  good,  old-fashioned,  amphibious 
story  of  fighting  with  the  Frenchmen  in 
the  beginning  of  our  century,  with  a  fair 
sprinkling  of  fun  and  frolic."— Tiw^*. 


"The  author  writes  with  a  pictur- 
esque dash  which  is  fast  bringing  him 
to  the  front  rank  among  the  writers  of 
boys'  hooks."— Daily  News. 


WOES  FOR  YOUyO  PEOPLE.  31 


WHITE  LILAC: 

A  Story  of  Two  Girls.  By  Amy  Walton,  author  of  "  Susan," 
"The  Hawthorns,"  &c.  With  4  full-page  Illustrations.  Crown 
8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1. 

White  Lilac  proved  a  fortune  to  the  relatives  to  whose  charge  she  fell — 
a  veritable  good  brownie,  who  brought  luck  wherever  she  went.  The  story 
of  her  life  forms  a  most  readable  and  admirable  rustic  idyl. 

MISS    WILLOWB  URN'S    OFFER. 

By  Sarah  Doudney.     With  4  full-page  Illustrations.     Crown 
8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1. 


"  Patience  Willowburn  is  one  of  Miss 
Doiulney's  best  creations,  and  is  the 
one  personality  in  the  story  which  can 


be  said  to  give  it  the  character  of  a 
book  not  for  young  ladies  but  for 
girls.  "—Spectator. 


HETTY   GRAY: 

Or  Nobody's  Bairn.     By  Rosa  Mulholland.    With  4  full-page 

Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1. 

"A  charming  story  for  young  folks.    I    tender,  and  true,  and  her  varying  for- 
Hetty  is  a  delightful  creature— piquant,    I    tunes  are  perfectly  realistic."—  World. 

THE    WAR    OF    THE   AXE: 

Or  Adventures  in  South  Africa.      By  J.  Percy-Groves.     With 
4  full-page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1. 


"  The  story  of  their  final  escape  from 
the  Caffres  is  a  marvellous  bit  of 
writing.    .    .    .    The  story  is  well  and 


brilliantly  told,  and  the  illustrations 
are  especially  good  and  effective."— 
Literary  World. 


JACK   O'    LANTHORN: 

A  Tale  of  Adventure.     By  Henry  Frith.     With  4  full-page 
Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1. 


"  Jack  o'  Lanthorn  will  hold  its  own 
with  the  best  works  of  Mr.  Henty  and 
Mr.  Manville  Fenn." — Morning  Adver- 
tiser. 


"The  narrative  is  crushed  full  of 
stirring  incident,  and  is  sure  to  be  a 
prime  favourite  with  our  boys."— 
Christian  Leader. 


BROTHERS   IN  ARMS: 

A  Story  of  the  Crusades.     By  F.  Bayford  Harrison.     With 

4  full-page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1. 

"  Full  of  striking  incident,  is  very  fair-  "One  of  the  best  accounts  of  the 

ly  illustrated,  and  may  safely  be  chosen  Crusades  it  has  been  our  privilege  to 

as  sure  to  prove  interesting  to  young  read.    The  book  cannot  fail  to  interest 

people  of  both  sexea."— Guardian.  hoys."— Schoolmistress. 


32  BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BOOKS   OF   ADVENTURE    FOR   BOYS. 

Beautifully  Illustrated,  and  bound  in  cloth  elegant.     Price  $1 
per  volume. 


STOEIES   OF   THE   SEA  IN  FORMER  DAYS:    Nar- 
ratives of  Wreck  and  Rescue. 

"Next  to  ail  original  sea-tale  of  sustained  interest  come  well-sketched  collec- 
tions of  maritime  peril  anO  suffering  which  awaken  the  sympathies  by  the  realism 
of  fact.    Stories  of  the  Sea  are  a  very  good  specimen  of  the  kind," — The  Times. 

TALES   OF   CAPTIVITY  AND   EXILE. 

"It  would  be  difficult  to  place  in  the  hands  of  young  people  a  book  which 
combines  interest  and  instruction  in  a  higher  degree." — Manchester  Courier. 

FAMOUS   DISCOVERIES   BY   SEA  AND  LAND. 

"Such  a  volume  may  providentially  stir  up  some  youths  by  the  divine  fire 
kindled  by  these  'great  of  old' to  lay  open  other  lands,  and  show  their  vast 
resouTces."— Perthshire  Advertiser. 

STIRRING  EVENTS   OF  HISTORY. 

"  The  volume  will  fairly  hold  its  place  among  those  which  make  the  smaller 
ways  of  liistory  pleasant  and  attractive.  It  is  a  gift-book  in  which  the  interest 
will  not  be  exhausted  with  one  reading." — Guardian. 

ADVENTURES  IN  FIELD,   FLOOD,   AND  FOREST. 

Stories  of  Danger  and  Daring. 

"One  of  the  series  of  books  for  young  people  which  Messrs.  Scribner  excel  in 
producing.  The  editor  has  beyond  all  question  succeeded  admirably.  The  pre- 
sent book  cannot  fail  to  be  read  with  interest  and  advantage."— ^cadem?/. 

THE  STORIES   OF   WASA  AND  MENZIKOFF:   The 

Deliverer  of  Sweden,  and  the  Favourite  of  Czar  Peter. 

"Both  are  stories  worth  telling  more  than  once,  and  it  is  a  happy  thought  to 
have  put  them  side  by  side.  Plutarch  himself  has  no  more  suggestive  com- 
parison. "Spectator. 


SCRIBNER  &   WELFORD, 
743    BROADWAY,    NEW    YORK. 


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